A couple from Ukraine who were victims of cheating by an English institute in the city was compensated by the consumer disputes redressal forum in the city. The couple, Kovalova Natalia and Kovalov Konstuntyn, wanted to study English in the city as they thought it offered some of the best institutes in the world. They contacted an English learning centre in R.T. Nagar, which offered them a three-month course for Rs 35,000. The couple arrived in the city on a student visa and enrolled themselves with English Learning Centre in Kammanahalli. But after joining the classes, they found that the tutors were untrained and incompetent. When they complained, English centre officials promised the couple that they would be given better training, but for an additional payment of Rs 70,000.
The couple declined to make the extra payment and approached the consumer forum. They told the forum that if they had known that quality training was not offered by the centre, they would not have joined the course. Officials from R.T. Nagar and Kammanahalli English centres did not counter the argument. A two-member bench, headed by forum president T. Rajashekhariah, decided the case ex-parte and directed the English centre to reimburse Rs 70,000 fee along with Rs 50,000 compensation and Rs 5,000 as expenses to the Ukrainian couple.