The Jalandhar Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered MakeMyTrip (MMT) and two Dharamsala hotels to compensate a Jalandhar-based businessman after his confirmed hotel bookings for the India-New Zealand ICC Cricket World Cup match in 2023 were abruptly cancelled, derailing his plans to witness one of the tournament’s biggest clashes live from the stadium.
The commission held that cancelling confirmed hotel reservations ahead of a major international sporting event amounted to deficiency in service and an unfair trade practice, observing that consumers have a legitimate expectation that a confirmed booking will be honoured.
The complaint was filed by Harjit Dhillon, a cricket goods manufacturer from Jalandhar, who had planned a trip to Dharamsala for the October 22, 2023, World Cup fixture between India and New Zealand. Besides watching the match, Dhillon said he also hoped to meet several national and international cricketers owing to his business ties in the cricket industry.
According to the complaint, Dhillon booked rooms through the MMT platform in June 2023, more than four months before the match. The bookings worth over Rs 15,000 were fully paid and confirmed.
However, in August 2023, he was informed that both hotels would be unable to accommodate him allegedly due to renovation and construction work. Dhillon contended that the cancellations were driven by the sharp surge in demand and room tariffs ahead of the World Cup fixture.
He argued that as hotel prices soared and accommodation became scarce, the properties cancelled existing reservations to accommodate higher paying customers. By then, finding alternative accommodation in Dharamsala had become difficult and expensive.
Dhillon said the sudden cancellations ultimately forced him to abandon his trip, costing him the opportunity to watch the high-profile World Cup clash live despite already having match tickets.
In its defence, MMT maintained that it merely acted as an online intermediary and that the cancellations were initiated by the hotels. The company submitted that full refunds had been processed and that alternative accommodation along with reimbursement of up to Rs 3,000 per booking had been offered, which the complainant declined.
After examining the booking records, match tickets and communications between the parties, the commission observed that cancelling the confirmed bookings during a global sporting event had caused inconvenience, disappointment and mental harassment.
Holding the two hotels primarily responsible and MMT jointly liable as the booking facilitator, the commission directed the parties to jointly pay Rs 10,000 as compensation for mental agony and deficiency in service, besides Rs 10,000 towards litigation expenses. The amount must be paid within 45 days, failing which it will attract interest at 9 per cent per annum.