No More Service Charges Included In Hotel Or Restaurant Bill

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) under the Department of Consumer Affairs, released a new set of guidelines. Now, no hotel or restaurant can levy service charges automatically or by default on food bills. CCPA has also allowed customers to file complaints in case of violation of its guidelines.

As per the guidelines issued by the CCPA, "No hotels or restaurants shall add service charge automatically or by default in the bill. There should not be any collection of service charge by any other name."

The hotel and restaurant management has to clearly inform the consumer that the service charge is voluntary, optional, and at the consumer's discretion.

The service charge cannot be collected by adding it along with the food bill and levying GST on the total amount.

If any customer finds that a hotel or restaurant is levying service charges in violation of the guidelines, they can request the restaurant or hotel's authority to remove them from the bill's amount. Customers can also lodge a complaint with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) by calling 1915. A complaint can also be lodged through the NCH mobile app. The complaint can also be filed on the edaakhil portal, http://www.edaakhil.nic.in.

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