How to File a Consumer Complaint Online in Punjab: Portal Steps and the Rs 50,000 Fine Route
Use the Punjab consumer complaint portal or the Deputy Commissioner route for a missing price list or receipt. See the 15 day notice, limits and fines.
Short answer: Punjab has a Complaint Registration Portal at consumerservice.punjab.gov.pk run by the Directorate of Consumer Protection Council. You create an account, register the complaint, and later search the case or the cause list. For a missing price list, receipt or expiry date, you can skip the court and complain to the Deputy Commissioner.
Most people in Punjab who hit a bad shop think of a lawyer, a stamp paper and a court. The Consumer Protection Council has two cheaper doors. One is a district consumer court with no court fee. The other is a plain paper complaint to the "Authority", which means the Deputy Commissioner. The first needs a legal notice. The second does not.
We read the Directorate's website and its Complaint Registration Portal on 11 October 2026. We did not create an account or submit a complaint, so we cannot describe the screens that sit behind the login.
Punjab has two official routes for a consumer complaint
You can file a claim before the District Consumer Court, or a complaint before the Authority, who is the Deputy Commissioner. The court route needs a 15 day legal notice first. The Authority route needs none, but it only covers four duties in the Act.
| Point | Authority (Deputy Commissioner) | District Consumer Court |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | The Deputy Commissioner as Authority | District and Sessions Judge or Additional Judge |
| Legal notice first | Not required | 15 days, on plain paper |
| What it covers | Sections 11, 16, 18 and 19: disclosure of products and services, price list, receipt | Defective products and faulty services, damages |
| Penalty on the violator | Fine up to Rs 50,000 | Up to 2 years, fine up to Rs 100,000, or both, plus damages |
| Court fee | None stated | None |
| Appeal within 30 days to | The Government (Industries, Commerce, Investment and Skills Development Department) | Lahore High Court |
All figures above come from the Directorate's own FAQ and guidelines pages. Which route you pick depends on the problem, and the next section sorts that out.
Choose the Authority when the problem is a price, a receipt or a label
Go to the Deputy Commissioner when a seller did not show a price list, did not give a receipt, or did not disclose ingredients, quality, or manufacture and expiry dates. These are the four duties the Directorate lists for the Authority. Use the court for a faulty product.
The Directorate's FAQ names the grievances the Authority can fine. They are non disclosure of component parts, ingredients, quality or date of manufacture and expiry; non disclosure of the capabilities of a service provider; no price list on display; and no receipt for the buyer. Our guide on what a Punjab shop must display and give you explains each duty.
A faulty fridge, a phone that dies in a week or a repair that was never done is different. That is a claim for damages, and it belongs in the District Consumer Court after a notice. We cover the notice step in how to get a faulty appliance repaired, replaced or refunded.
The Authority route is also the better first move when the amount is small. A shopkeeper who sold an expired packet for Rs 150 will not be sued for damages, but a fine of up to Rs 50,000 gets attention.
The portal lets you register, search a case and read the cause list
The portal at consumerservice.punjab.gov.pk has a Register Complaint page, a Cause List page, and a search by district, case number, CNIC or case title. You need a user account first. The form asks for your name, username, email, mobile number and a password.
The home page of the portal lists these items: Guidelines for Consumers, the Legal Notice guideline in English and Urdu, the Filing Case/Complaint guideline in English and Urdu, Register Complaint and Cause List. The drop down for courts shows one consumer court for each of 36 districts, and a long list of Authority offices by city and tehsil.
- Open consumerservice.punjab.gov.pk and choose Login / Register.
- Create your user account with your name, a username, an email address, a mobile number and a password.
- Log in. The login page asks a small sum as a security check.
- Choose Register Complaint and select the district and the court or the Authority.
- Describe the complaint and attach the receipt, photos and the notice you sent.
- Save the complaint number. Use it later in Search Case/Complaint.
Steps 4 to 6 are our reading of the menu and the guidelines, because the form itself sits behind the login. The Directorate's home page adds a note: online registration is subject to the procedure in the Punjab Consumer Protection Act and its Rules. So the portal does not remove the notice step for a court claim.
A court claim still needs a 15 day legal notice on plain paper
Before a court claim, send the seller or maker a legal notice on plain paper, by registered post with acknowledgement. They have 15 days to put things right. If they do not, file the claim on plain paper in the next 15 days. No court fee is charged.
The Directorate's guideline says you may file the claim yourself or through a lawyer. Its FAQ also gives an outer limit: 30 days from the cause of action. Read the two together and do not wait. Send the notice the same week you find the fault. If a seller will not give you a name and address, ask for the receipt first. Our page on taking a shop to consumer court without a lawyer walks through the notice.
The Directorate's flowchart then describes what happens after you file. The court registrar examines the claim and may admit it or return it. If admitted, the other side gets a notice and 15 days to reply, with one extension of up to 15 more days. Then comes a pre trial settlement attempt, evidence from both sides, final arguments, and an order. If the other side does not comply, the court starts execution of the order.
What to attach so the complaint is not returned
Attach the receipt or invoice, photos of the product and its label, the date of purchase, the seller's name and address, and a copy of the notice with its postal receipt. A complaint with no proof of purchase is the one most likely to be returned.
The Act asks for a receipt showing the date, a description of goods, quantity, price and the seller's name and address. If you got only a handwritten slip, photograph the shop board, the shop's phone number and the product pack as well. For an online order, keep the order page and the delivery message.
Keep your own copy of everything, including the registered post slip. If the Authority or the court asks for it later, you will have it. For an overcharge on a price list, the separate overcharging complaint on 0800-02345 or the Qeemat app may be faster than either route above.
Where to ask for help if the portal does not work
The Directorate lists a helpline on 042 99030124 on its home page. Its head office is at 135-J, Model Town, Lahore, with phone numbers 042 99232486 and 99232490. District teams are listed on its website under About Us.
The portal and the main website are separate sites, so if one is slow, try the other. The Directorate's home page also links to the Qeemat portal for price complaints and to a consumer court services app on the Google Play Store. We did not open the app.
If a case is decided and the seller still ignores the order, tell the court registrar. The flowchart says the Presiding Officer shall start execution of the order. Do not pay anyone a fee to "speed up" a consumer case. The Directorate states that no court fee is needed.
Common questions
Is there a fee to file a consumer court claim in Punjab?
No. The Directorate's FAQ says no court fee is required for filing a claim before a Consumer Court. Postage for the legal notice is your own cost.
Can I complain to the Deputy Commissioner without a legal notice?
Yes. The Directorate says no legal notice is required for a complaint before the Authority. It covers sections 11, 16, 18 and 19 only.
What is the largest fine the Authority can impose?
The FAQ and the guidelines both say a fine that may extend to Rs 50,000. The court can impose a fine up to Rs 100,000, or prison up to two years, or both.
How long do I have to file a court claim?
The FAQ says 30 days from the cause of action. The guidelines add a 15 day notice period and then a further 15 days to file. File early and keep proof of the dates.
Can I file the claim myself without a lawyer?
Yes. The guidelines say the claim may be filed by the consumer in person or through a lawyer, on plain paper.
Does the portal work for Sindh, KP or Balochistan?
No. It is the Punjab Directorate's portal under the Punjab Consumer Protection Act 2005. Other provinces have their own laws and courts.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked on Sunday 11 October 2026. We read the Directorate of Consumer Protection Council's FAQ and Guidelines for Consumers pages, its home page, and the Complaint Registration Portal including its filing procedure PDF. The legal notice guideline PDF is a scanned image that we could not read as text. We did not create an account or file a complaint, so the form fields after login are not described.
About the author
Technology Journalist & Multimedia Producer
Ahmad Ali is a technology journalist and multimedia producer at Pakistan Era, joining the team in October 2026. He covers consumer technology and digital life for Pakistani readers, combining research with hands-on product testing.
