Have you ever felt cheated by an online travel portal?
Did you feel helpless and think, it’s no use complaining, no one will listen? That’s not true. The Consumer Forum – North Goa, set a precedent.
According to the reports published by the local newspaper, the North Goa Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum has recently directed Make My Trip India Pvt Ltd to pay Rs 1 Lakh as compensation for cheating one Mr. Pradeep Kankonkar from Goa.
What happened between them?
According to sources, in May 2012, Mr. Kankonkar used the online portal, “Make My Trip” to book six air-conditioned rooms. He paid Rs. 40,325 as he had planned a family tour to Coorg in Karnataka. But when the family reached the hotel, they got an unpleasant shock. The hotelier denied them any Air Conditioned rooms. He claimed he had no Air conditioned rooms available. Mr. Pradeep Kakonkar then brought this to the notice of the booking company (Make My Trip) and also to the Hotel Management staff, but, the booking company did not provide much help. As a result, all four families on that trip had to accommodate themselves in Non AC rooms.
Mr. Kankonkar met Social activist Kashinath Shetye. Together they filed a complaint in the North Goa Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum. The case went on for five years but recently judgment was delivered in Mr. Pradeep Kankonkar’s favor.
The Consumer Forum meticulously went through all the evidence, Finally, it decided that ‘Make My Trip’ was responsible for cheating the consumer. It concluded that Make My Trip, by not providing what was promised, despite charging for the same, caused a huge amount of tension and inconvenience to the consumers (complainants). In its order, the Consumer Forum also said that failure to pay the compensation amount of Rs 1 Lakh, within 30 days, will lead to an additional interest of nine percent per annum from the date of the order. Additionally, the Consumer Forum also directed the booking company and the hotel owner to jointly pay an amount of Rs 50,000 as the cost of the litigation.
The next time you use the services of an online portal, rest assured you will get justice if you need it.
Information source: Goaprism.com
Image sources: Pixabay.com. newindianexpress.com
