Chandigarh: Travel firm told to pay Rs 54,000 for not cancelling, refunding air tickets

CHANDIGARH: The district consumer disputes redressal forum directed Cleartrip Private Limited to pay Rs 10,000 as compensation for failing to cancel tickets booked by the complainant for wrong dates and not refunding the money. They were also directed to refund Rs 44,975 to the complainant.
Vishal Bhardwaj, a resident of Sector 38, Chandigarh, said he had booked air tickets from Chandigarh to Lucknow with departure dated January 28, 2019 and the return ticket dated January 30, 2019 on December 18, 2018.
After completing the booking, the complainant realized that he has booked the tickets for wrong dates and therefore, tried to modify the same from the mobile app, but could not succeed.
Thereafter, he called the customer care helpline, but the date could not be changed and the complainant was informed that no flights were available. Whereas, according to the complainant, the app showed multiple flights available for fresh booking.
Alleging that the aforesaid acts amount to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice on their part, he filed a consumer complaint.
The firm, while admitting the basic facts of the case, pleaded that it provided a facility for booking flight tickets. The actual service providers are the airline. On receipt of payment of Rs 44,975, the booking was successful and an e-ticket bearing Trip ID 181218347262 was sent to the e-mail of the complainant.
On December 18, 2018, the complainant contacted the customer support team and informed that he had mistakenly booked tickets for January 28, 2019 to January 30, 2019 instead of booking for December 28 to December 30, 2018. The customer support executive assisted the complainant to amend the booking for the desired dates, but could not find any flights. The support executive also inquired with the complainant on the flexibility of the dates, but he refused to travel on other dates.
The forum, however, after hearing both sides held that “Although the company in its reply itself admitted that the complainant contacted the customer support team on December 18, 2018, yet nowhere the company stated that on account of non-availability of flights for the preferred dates, it has desired the complainant to cancel the tickets. It is also not the case of the company that it has processed the request of the complainant for refund, but the same was declined as per the terms and conditions applicable thereto. At any rate, when the complainant did not intend to travel on any other dates and insisted the booking to be amended for December 28 to December 30, 2018, for which no flights were available, the company ought to guide the complainant to cancel the tickets and thereafter to process the refund forthwith, which it miserably failed to do and propelled this unwarranted, uncalled for litigation upon the complainant. Thus, finding a definite deficiency in service on the part of the company, we have no other alternative, but to allow the present complaint.” They were then directed to pay up.