Pudong New Area People's Court has ordered French retailer Carrefour to pay 1,081 yuan ($176) to a customer whom it misled by stocking a locally produced meat product in its imported food section, the court said Monday.

The customer, surnamed Chen, sued Carrefour after he spent 540.70 yuan on the product in May 2012 under the impression that it was imported from France, according to a court press release. 

The product didn't taste as good as Chen had hoped. Later, he noticed that the packaging stated the product was actually manufactured in Jinshan district.

Feeling that Carrefour was misleading its customers, Chen reported the company to the local commerce regulator, which fined the supermarket 10,000 yuan for the practice, the court said.

Chen himself, however, couldn't get restitution from the company. When he tried to return the product for a refund, the store refused.

When Chen sued the company, he demanded twice the retail price of the product in restitution, plus another 110 yuan in compensation for missing work and other costs.

In court, Carrefour pointed out that the information about the product was listed on its packaging.

It argued that it was up to the customers to make sure the product met their expectations before they bought it, regardless of where it was located in the store.

The court agreed with Chen's argument that the store was deceiving its customers by putting domestically produced products in its imported food section.

However, it rejected Chen's demand for 110 yuan in additional compensation.

Global Times