I RECENTLY bought some goods from the Bahadurabad outlet in Karachi of a famous and old shoe brand. On purchase of goods worth Rs3,000, I was charged Rs3,030. I enquired about this extra Rs30, and was told that I was mistaken because the price of the goods purchased was Rs3,030. I kept quiet, assuming that I may have misread the price.

Later, it transpired that they had charged Rs30 for the fabric bag that I had declined, but the salesperson had insisted that it was a `service item`. The receipt showed that I had been charged Rs25 for the flimsy fabric bag, whose actual cost and worth was less than a rupee, with a sales tax of 18 per cent, costing me a total of Rs30. The fact that the disputed amount is a `mere` Rs30 should not divert attention from another fact; I was charged for a `service` I did not want.

This is a blatantly fraudulent action of ripping off the customer. When I shared this incident with family, friends and colleagues, I was surprised to know that this fraudulent exercise was being practised at all major outlets, especially in allthe high-end outlets ofallfashion brands and textile products in Pakistan.Is there any government agency which is working for consumer protection in thiscountry? Or are theyfree toneece the unwary customers at their will? Vigar H. Siddiqui Karachi