MakeMyTrip asked to refund customer, pay Rs. 1,000 compensation for service deficiencies

HYDERABAD: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ordered MakeMyTrip to reimburse Rs 3,128 and compensate a Hyderabad resident with Rs 1,000 for service deficiencies.

Mulpur Adam, a Nagaram native, purchased two online tickets to Goa for himself and his sister Mulpur Rosy to celebrate the Christmas season. Adam booked two online bus tickets from Goa to Hyderabad for Rs.3,128 through the MakeMyTrip app on his phone through Mahi Trans Solutions travels for the return journey on December 25, 2021.

The bus coordinator informed them that their bus had been cancelled owing to a technical issue. They had arranged for a replacement bus with Dakshi Travels after a delay of about four hours. On December 26, 2021, around 7 a.m., a backup bus arrived in Lokapur, Karnataka State, but it also broke down. The bus driver and cleaner informed Adam that if possible, they would provide an alternate arrangement.

Around 12:00 p.m., both the bus drivers and the cleaner unexpectedly abandoned the bus and fled the location without notifying anyone or making any additional arrangements.

The complainant and his sister took a local bus to Hyderabad, and reached Hyderabad at 7 a.m. on December 27, 2021, after a 17-hour journey. Due to the negligence of bus Travels and MakeMyTrip, both Adam and Rosy went through a lot of inconvenience during their travel.

After arriving in Hyderabad, Adam attempted to contact MakeMyTrip's customer service to get a refund for the booking amount, but in vain. On July 20, 2022, the complainant e-mailed both travels and MakeMyTrip about the inconvenience caused him and his sister by inadequate bus services from both MakeMyTrip trip and travels, requesting a Rs.3,128 refund.

Adam called them multiple times, requesting that they refund the money, but he never received a response. The failure of MakeMyTrip and Travels to respond to many e-mails and phone calls in providing bus service from Goa to Hyderabad not only amounts to a deficiency in service but also amounts to unfair trade practise.

Adam and his family members experienced significant inconvenience, difficulty, and emotional anguish due to bad bus service provided by MakeMyTrip and bus travel. Hence, Adam sought appropriate redressal through the consumer forum.

MakeMyTrip filed a written petition saying that Adam had purchased two bus tickets from Goa to Hyderabad for the trip on December 25, 2021 for Rs.2998 (Excluding taxes). They claimed that Adam was informed four hours before the scheduled departure time that the bus had been cancelled owing to technical difficulties.

However, Adam refused to cancel the bus ticket and insisted on taking the alternative bus booked by the travel agency, according to MakeMyTrip. Due to an unfortunate incident, several of the bus's sensors were disconnected and stopped operating, and the alternate vehicle broke down after crossing approximately 400 kilometres from the start of the journey.

According to MakeMyTrip, it was after midnight, so it took around two hours to arrange for an alternative, which Adam and his sister were informed about.

However, Adam remained adamant and refused to wait the time allowed to him, instead boarded a State Government bus and left the place. However, MakeMyTrip stated that as a customer-centric firm, they had previously reimbursed 55 percent of the Adam's money.

They additionally said they were merely an intermediary between end users such as the complainant and service providers such as "Mahi Trans Solutions," and that the amount paid by the complainant were passed to the particular service provider with whom Adam opted to purchase the tickets.

They claimed that their organisation simply operates as a facilitator for bus bookings and that they weren't involved in or liable for the timely departure or arrival of the bus.

While refuting the charges, MakeMyTrip stated clearly that there was no unfair trade practise or deficiency in service on their part. They further claimed that Adam's allegations were absolutely false and misleading.

The court said that MakeMyTrip should've informed Adam about the bus cancellation in advance, and that it would use its best efforts to give a comparable best alternative to its customer or refund the booking price. The court said that it remains MakeMyTrip's responsibility and obligation to provide information regarding the bus's cancellation.

The court took note of MakeMyTrip's written statement, which stated that they alerted Adam about the bus cancellation four hours before the scheduled boarding time, and that the trip was cancelled owing to technical concerns.

Adam, however, refused to cancel the bus ticket and insisted on taking the alternate bus arranged by the travel agency. However, MakeMyTrip did not file any documentation to back up this claim.

The court also noted that MakeMyTrip claimed in writing that "without admitting any liability as a customer-centric organisation, they had already reimbursed the 55 percent amount to Adam, but they weren't able to provide any documentary proof of the refund filed by the opposite party for refund paid to the complainant."

After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances, the court decided in favour of the complainant, establishing that MakeMyTrip failed to provide adequate service. The court also noted that the complaint made no allegations against Bus Travels.

Hence, the court ordered MakeMyTrip to refund Rs.3,128 plus nine percent interest till its realisation, as well as pay Rs.1,000 in compensation and costs of the litigation.