Ghaziabad: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered MakeMyTrip to pay a customer Rs 30,000 in compensation and Rs 5,000 as litigation costs for failing to provide bookings as demanded. The customer had bought a trip guarantee after paying a premium, but the tickets were not confirmed, which the commission treated as deficiency in service.Commission president Anil Kumar Pundir and members Shailja Sachan and RP Singh on Sept 30 ruled that the company must comply within 30 days from the date of the judgment. “In the event of failure to comply, the opposite party shall pay to the complainant simple interest at 6% per annum from the date of the judgment until the actual payment is made,” the commission said.On Jan 18, 2025, Abhay Garg filed a complaint alleging he and two friends had booked three tickets to Varanasi from New Delhi via MakeMyTrip on Nov 13, 2024. He paid Rs 4,995 for all three, of which Rs 1,500 was for 100% confirmed tickets. He had also booked three return tickets with an additional Rs 800 for trip guarantee.When they boarded the train, however, they were told their tickets were invalid as the tickets were cancelled due to unavailability of reservation. The TTE issued a receipt for Rs 3,870 for all three of them, and they were forced to spend the journey standing near the train’s toilet.They later found out the return tickets were also invalid and were forced to take flights, paying a total fare of Rs 16,656. The group had paid a total of Rs 7,338, of which Rs 2,200 was paid for confirmed tickets. Garg said he also sent a notice to the company through a lawyer over damages, but it went unanswered.The travel agency was sent notices which were also unanswered, and the forum proceeded with the case ex parte.Having perused the documents, the commission concluded that the defendant’s failure to reimburse the complainant for the work for which the money was taken proved the defendant’s service to be deficient and ruled in the complainant’s favour.
