Decormart Studio - Cheated by an Interior Company in Bengaluru

I, Abhishek, am filing this complaint under the Consumer Protection Act for deficiency of service, misleading trade practices, and non-refund of the booking amount by Decormart Studio, HSR Layout Bengaluru, despite not availing any services from them.

Background:

On **th June ****, I had an initial *.*-hour detailed discussion with Mr. Pratik, Sales Head at Decormart Studio, where I clearly shared all my interior requirements. Based on that, we mutually agreed on a budget of ₹*.* lakhs, and I was asked to pay a booking amount of ₹**,*** (*%), which I paid the same day.

A basic Excel quotation was shared afterward that lacked item-wise details. As a first-time customer, the document was unclear. I requested a detailed, requirement-wise quotation, and Mr. Pratik agreed, but he went on indefinite leave after the booking. I never received the promised breakdown.

On **th July ****, I paid a second installment of ₹**,***, trusting that the agreed terms would be honored.

On *nd August ****, during the KYC meeting with their senior designer, I found that many measurements and requirements were underquoted or missing — appearing as an intentional act to lower the overall estimate and secure the booking.

Initially, the team denied my claims, stating all discussed items were included. However, I had a screen recording of the original call which I shared with them, after which they acknowledged discrepancies.

After revisiting the requirements with Mr. Surajit (Sales Manager), I was given a new revised quotation of ₹**.* lakhs, which was completely outside the agreed budget, based on the same requirements.

I then requested a cancellation and full refund, as I had not availed any services and no work had commenced. I was denied a refund, and offered a reduced scope of work instead — which defeats the purpose of personalized interior design.

Relief Sought:

Refund the total booking amount of ₹**,*** (₹**,*** + ₹**,***), as no service has been provided and the transaction remains at the pre-service stage.

Pay a compensation of ₹**,*** for the mental harassment, waste of time, and inconvenience caused.

Cover the legal and filing costs of this complaint.