Punjab consumer panel orders refund over unfulfilled placement promise

A district consumer commission in Gurdaspur, Punjab, has directed a training company to refund the course fee of an MBA graduate who enrolled in an online programme advertised with a promise of guaranteed placement.

The order, passed on 16 September, requires Eduinx Education Services to return ₹84,960 to Harish Malhotra. The commission also awarded ₹10,000 for mental tension and harassment, along with ₹5,000 towards legal expenses.

According to the complaint, Malhotra paid the fee by credit card on 12 July 2025 for an online course on artificial intelligence in product management. He said an advertisement promising assured placement shaped his decision to enrol. He completed the programme and received his certificate on 24 November 2025, but the promised job never came through, despite repeated follow-ups. He alleged the company kept extending its timelines.

Malhotra told the commission he remained unemployed for over ten months and sought ₹6 lakh for financial losses and damage to his career continuity, plus ₹30,000 for legal costs.

Eduinx contested the claims, describing itself as a training and career-support platform. It argued that hiring decisions rest with employers, not the platform. The company said its guarantee covered interview preparation, profile improvement and contact with employers, and that Malhotra had taken part in recruitment processes involving several companies. It further alleged that he turned down opportunities outside his preferred locations of Gurugram and Delhi-NCR.

The bench, comprising president Lalit Mohan Dogra and member B S Matharu, examined whether these efforts satisfied the advertised promise and concluded they did not. It drew a distinction between arranging interviews and actually securing placement, and held that any limits on the guarantee should have been clearly disclosed at the time of enrolment.

The commission also rejected unsupported claims attributing the outcome to Malhotra's interview performance, noting that Eduinx did not produce employer assessments or communications showing rejection on that basis.

WhatsApp messages showed that some vacancies were shared with him, but the commission found these did not establish definite employment offers or successful placement. It observed that a mere suggestion of a vacancy cannot be equated with an employment offer as promised, nor can a recruitment lead, screening call or interview be treated as equivalent to a successful placement. Even taking the WhatsApp conversations at face value, the evidence fell short of showing that the company fulfilled the substantive placement representation, it said.

The commission held that the unfulfilled commitment amounted to deficient service, and that the inadequately qualified placement guarantee constituted an unfair trade practice. It, however, rejected the ₹6 lakh compensation claim for want of sufficient supporting documents.

Payment must be made within 45 days of receiving a copy of the order. Failing that, the refund will attract 9% annual interest from the date of deposit until actual repayment.