Customer's booking was cancelled on the grounds that the hotel was not operational

The hotel was available at a price of Rs 27,207 on the same day

We feel that huge profiteering is the sole motive: Commission

A Chandigarh resident’s hotel booking was cancelled at the last minute despite having advance payments. Vineet Marwaha had booked The Essence Retreat in October 2021 through GoIbibo. His booking was cancelled just moments before he was set to check-in on the grounds that the hotel was not operational. Rs 10,432 was refunded. However, upon checking the site, the hotel was available at a price of Rs 27,207 on the same day. He approached the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I in Chandigarh. “The Essence Retreat, due to heavy rush at their venue in Goa, were increasing the fare of the room every other day as there were n-number of customers in line to get the hotel booked at an even higher price  but in our opinion the complainant hired the services of OYO and MakeMytrip in advance just with this reason that at the peak season it will be impossible for him to meet the budget,’ the commission noted.

 The commission directed MakeMyTrip, OYO Rooms and a hotel in Goa to pay ₹42,000 which includes Rs 35,000 as compensation and Rs 7000 as litigation charges. “The opposing parties have failed to place on record any evidence as to why they have cancelled the booking of the complainant  and thereafter as to how the same rooms of the hotel were offered at exorbitant rates. We feel that huge profiteering is the sole motive by the parties to harass the complainant and his family at the last moment when they were set to travel to their destination. Hence, the act of cancelling the already booked room by the complainant at the eleventh hour of his family trip that too without any concrete reasons certainly caused immense physical harassment and mental agony to the complainant,’ the commission’s order read.