1 day ago
Court Holds MakeMyTrip Liable After Kashmir Family’s Hotel Nightmare
A family from Gurdaspur booked two hotels for a trip to Srinagar and Gulmarg through MakeMyTrip.
They said the first hotel could not be found and the second was also unavailable.
The family claimed they had trouble finding another place to stay during heavy snowfall.
They said they eventually spent a night in their vehicle in very cold weather.
MakeMyTrip said it only connected customers with hotels and was not responsible for the properties.
The consumer commission disagreed because MakeMyTrip accepted the payment and sent confirmed booking vouchers.
It said the company should have helped provide usable accommodation or an effective alternative.
The commission ordered a refund, compensation and legal costs.
The Gurdaspur consumer commission ordered MakeMyTrip to refund Rs 18,775 with 9% annual interest.
The family said two booked properties in Srinagar and Gulmarg were non-existent or unavailable.
The commission awarded Rs 25,000 for harassment, mental agony and financial loss, plus Rs 5,000 in legal costs.
MakeMyTrip argued it was only an intermediary and that the hotels had marked the customer as a “No Show.”
The commission held that accepting payment and issuing confirmed vouchers created responsibility under consumer and e-commerce rules.
- Who
- A Gurdaspur-based advocate and his family; MakeMyTrip India Pvt. Ltd. was the primary company named in the complaint.
- What
- The Gurdaspur District Consumer Commission found deficiency in service and unfair trade practice over two disputed hotel bookings and ordered financial relief.
- Where
- The disputed accommodations were in Srinagar and Gulmarg, and the complaint was decided in Gurdaspur.
- When
- The bookings were for December 27–29, 2025; the commission considered communications from December 27–29, 2025. The order date is not stated.
- Why
- The commission found that the booked accommodations were not made available and that MakeMyTrip failed to provide effective assistance or a real-time alternative.
Consumer Commission and Complainant
MakeMyTrip’s Position
Responsibility for bookings
Consumer Commission and Complainant
The commission said MakeMyTrip could not avoid consumer liability by calling itself an intermediary because it accepted payment and issued confirmed booking vouchers.
MakeMyTrip’s Position
MakeMyTrip argued that it only facilitated transactions between customers and hotels and did not own, operate or control the listed properties.
Availability of accommodation
Consumer Commission and Complainant
The complainant said the Srinagar property was not a hotel at the listed location and the Gulmarg property could not be found; the commission accepted that the accommodations were not made available.
MakeMyTrip’s Position
MakeMyTrip maintained that the hotels reported the customer as a “No Show” and that it had tried to obtain a refund, but the hotels refused under their non-refundable policies.
Need to include hotel owners
Consumer Commission and Complainant
The commission held that the hotel owners did not need to be added because the consumer had paid MakeMyTrip directly and received confirmations carrying its branding.
MakeMyTrip’s Position
MakeMyTrip argued that the complaint was defective because the hotel owners or management had not been made parties.
Key facts
- Booking amount
- Rs 18,775 total: Rs 5,788 for Srinagar and Rs 12,987 for Gulmarg.
- Refund ordered
- Rs 18,775 with 9% annual interest from December 25, 2025 until realization.
- Compensation
- Rs 25,000 for physical harassment, mental agony and financial loss.
- Litigation expenses
- Rs 5,000.
- Total principal award
- Rs 48,775, excluding interest on the refund.
- Srinagar booking
- Hotel Heritage Rose Inn, booked for December 27–28, 2025.
- Gulmarg booking
- Hotel Apple Tree Resorts, booked for December 28–29, 2025.
Sources
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