MakeMyTrip and Go First recently fined by a District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Chandigarh have imposed a fine of ₹19,000.
Consumer Foram Imposed Penalty On MakeMyTrip and Go First
They have granted this penalty after a family’s trip to Thailand was disrupted due to flight cancellations and rescheduling.
This all started when a Chandigarh resident filed a complaint detailing how his family’s planned holiday in April 2023 was affected, as per the information provided by the Bar and Bench.
To start with, he had booked flights through MakeMyTrip for Go First’s service from New Delhi to Phuket.
They had also reserved a stay in Krabi through MakeMyTrip while booking an accommodation in Phuket separately.
But it all turned into chaos when weeks before the scheduled departure, Go First canceled the flight, citing “operational reasons.”
However, the airline offered a later flight booking which was departing 3 hours and 40 minutes to compensate for this.
Unfortunately, this too was canceled.
It appears that the rescheduled flight was offered for April 2, 2023.
This caused the family to miss their hotel stay in Krabi and lose part of their prepaid booking in Phuket.
As a result this complainant held both MakeMyTrip and Go First responsible for the financial losses and inconvenience.
The Chandigarh resident claimed the flight changes resulted in additional costs for extending their stay in Krabi, as well as the loss of one night’s stay in Phuket, which they were unable to use due to the delayed flights.
In its defense, MakeMyTrip argued that it acted solely as an intermediary and was not responsible for airline operations or flight disruptions.
Further adding that they don’t have any control over cancellations or refunds, as outlined in its user agreement.
When it came to Go First, it did not appear for the hearings, and the case proceeded ex-parte against the airline.
In its research, the Commission found both MakeMyTrip and Go First liable.
Addressing Deficiency In Services
The Commission noted this under the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, e-commerce platforms like MakeMyTrip must ensure that services are provided to consumers.
They have also observed that Go First’s failure to attend the proceedings and repeated flight cancellations amounted to a “deficiency in service.”
Further, these companies were directed to refund ₹8,900, covering ₹6,384 for the unused hotel stay in Phuket and ₹2,516 for the extended stay in Krabi.
In addition to this they were directed to pay ₹10,000 in compensation for the complainant’s mental agony and litigation costs.
“Neither MakeMyTrip, as the e-commerce entity, nor Go First, as the service provider, can evade liability, particularly when both are duty-bound to ensure service as per the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020,” stated the order from the Commission, dated October 1.
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