Consumer panel awards ₹50,000 compensation against Simplilearn over refund denial
HYDERABAD: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission–I, Hyderabad, has directed Simplilearn Solutions Pvt Ltd to pay ₹50,000 as compensation and ₹10,000 as costs to a city-based complainant, holding the edtech firm guilty of deficiency in service for denying a timely refund sought under its own policy.
Refund sought within four days
The complaint was filed by Ganti Vishnu Sharma of Yapral, Secunderabad. According to the complaint, Sharma enrolled in Simplilearn’s “Professional Certificate Program in Blockchain” and paid ₹1,30,500 on April 25, 2022. Within four days of joining, he raised a service ticket seeking cancellation and refund, citing financial constraints and difficulty with the course.
The company rejected the request and, according to the complainant, pressured him to continue. A second ticket was raised stating that continuation was unwilling and only due to denial of refund.
Job assistance promise questioned
Sharma also alleged that at the time of enrolment, Simplilearn assured job assistance through IIM Jobs and Hirist portals after course completion. However, after completing the course in March 2025, he claimed there were no interviews and only generic resume templates, webinars and redirection to third-party job sites.
The complainant further contended that verification in March 2025 showed no blockchain jobs listed on the named portals, rendering the promised job assistance “illusory”. He also objected to the company treating partially accessed self-learning content as non-refundable to deny the refund.
Commission’s findings
The commission noted that the complainant had sought a refund within the stipulated period mentioned in the opposite party’s policy. “Hence, the opposite party cannot deny the refund of fee paid as per their own policy, which amounts to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice,” the order said.
However, the bench also recorded that the complainant had completed the course and was issued a certificate. In view of this, it held that he was not entitled to a full refund of the course fee.
Relief granted
Allowing the complaint in part, the commission directed Simplilearn to pay ₹50,000 as compensation and ₹10,000 as litigation costs within 45 days from receipt of the order. It said the compensation amount would carry 12% interest per annum from the date of default till realisation if the company failed to comply within the stipulated time.
The opposite party did not appear before the commission and did not file a written version within the prescribed time.
