Ed-tech company Byju's has been ordered to pay Rs 94,999 by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-II, Hyderabad, for failing to provide the complainant's son with the JEE-IIP course curriculum or reimburse the course money, as per a report by the New Indian Express.
Even after promising to refund the total amount, Gunupudi Priyadarshini received only Rs 1 in the bank account. In August 2023, Priyadarshini paid Rs 85,000 to the ed-tech company for her son. Despite this, any study material or any product, such as a laptop, wasn’t received by her.
In order to pay the fee, a personal loan was taken by the complaint, and the EMI was Rs 6,084. Even though the authorities of the edtech platform were approached several times for cancellation of the fee as well as a refund of the application, there was no response from Byju’s.
While the manager of Byju’s promised Priyadarshini that the whole amount would be refunded to her in the next 30 days, she never got the money back. Since Byju's did not present any evidence in its defense, the Commission ordered it to refund the full amount of Rs 84,999 with 12 per cent annual interest and pay Rs 10,000 in compensation within 45 days from May 15.
In the last few years, the embattled edtech firm has been dragged to several courts, be it the National Company Law Tribunal or the consumer courts. Several investors have also filed bankruptcy pleas against the edtech giant.
The latest blow to Byju’s was when Think & Learn, the parent company of the ed-tech start-up Byju's, was recently asked by foreign creditor Glas Trust LLC to prevent its shares from being pledged, sold, or transferred by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Bengaluru. This was as per a report by Bar and Bench. Meanwhile, several employees are also planning to file a complaint against the edtech platform for unpaid salaries and dues.
