<h1>Service Charges on Hotel and Restaurant Bills Are Voluntary; Customers Can File Complaints if Imposed Mandatorily.</h1> The government has issued guidelines stating that service charges on hotel and restaurant bills are voluntary, not mandatory. Customers have the discretion to decide whether to pay a service charge, and the relevant section on bills should be left blank for them to fill in. If service charges are imposed mandatorily, customers can file complaints in the Consumer Court. Although current laws do not allow for strict penalties, a new Consumer Protection Bill is expected to grant authorities the power to enforce these guidelines. The move follows numerous consumer complaints about service charges being wrongly imposed.