WhatsApp message helps woman win Dh13,000 refund in Abu Dhabi court

Dubai: The Abu Dhabi Commercial Court of First Instance has ordered an events management company to refund Dh13,000 to a woman after finding that a phone message from the company confirmed it had agreed to return the money due to shortcomings in organising a private function.

Court records show the woman filed a case seeking recovery of Dh13,000 paid for the event, along with legal interest of 5 per cent from the due date until full payment, expedited enforcement and reimbursement of costs and legal fees.

She told the court she had contracted the company to organise a private event under an agreement stating that payments would be refunded if there were organisational defects. She said the company later acknowledged the deficiencies and agreed to repay the amount but failed to do so, Emarat Al Youm reported.

In support of her claim, she submitted copies of the contract, a company-issued document, a bank transfer record and WhatsApp messages exchanged with the company’s representative.

The company’s owner attended the hearing and argued the case should be dismissed on the grounds of lack of standing. In the alternative, he requested rejection of the claim and argued the claimant was not entitled to interest because she was not a trader.

In its reasoning, the court said the documents showed a valid contract between the parties and that the messages were exchanged with the same phone number listed in the contract, establishing that they were issued by the company’s representative.

The messages included a written confirmation that Dh13,000 would be refunded within 14 days of the event date, the court said. It added that there was no evidence the company had made the repayment, and that the owner’s court appearance did not undermine the validity or amount of the debt.

On interest, the court ruled that the outstanding sum was a known debt and that delay in payment entitled the claimant to compensation for late settlement.

The court ordered the company, through its owner, to pay Dh13,000 plus delay interest at 3 per cent per year from the date of claim until full payment, capped at the principal amount, as well as court costs and legal fees.