E-Paper
Denied hotel check-in, Panchkula man wins ₹45,000 compensation
Holding them deficient in services, the commission directed OYO Rooms and its CEO Ritesh Aggarwal; and Hotel Kasauli Continental and its owner Maninder Thakur to pay ₹20,000 each, along with ₹5,500 in equal proportion as litigation charges, to the complainant, Kanishak Singhal of Sector 21, Panchkula
For not letting a Panchkula resident check-in despite having a confirmation, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed OYO Rooms and a hotel in Kasauli to pay over ₹45,000 as compensation.
Holding them deficient in services, the commission directed OYO Rooms and its CEO Ritesh Aggarwal; and Hotel Kasauli Continental and its owner Maninder Thakur to pay ₹20,000 each, along with ₹5,500 in equal proportion as litigation charges, to the complainant, Kanishak Singhal of Sector 21, Panchkula.
“There was gross negligence and deficiency on the part of hotel and the owner of hotel, while not accepting the confirmed booking as provided by OYO Rooms through its website to the complainant,” ruled the commission.
“After the receipt of intimation qua the denial of the confirmed booking to the complainant, a heavy duty was cast upon the OYO Rooms to provide the best possible accommodation to him and his family members but they have been found to have failed to provide any such accommodation to the complainant; therefore, they were also deficient, while rendering services to the complainant,” added the order.
Singhal had submitted that he made a reservation for rooms on August 20, 2019, at Hotel Kasauli Continental for September 1, 2019, through the OYO Rooms website and a booking ID was issued. The payment was to be made at the hotel itself.
But when on September 1, Singhal, along with his family, including his wife, eight-month-old child and a senior citizen mother, reached the hotel, the staff refused to entertain the booking and simply denied having any relation with OYO Rooms.
He immediately contacted the OYO Rooms helpline, but to no avail. Singhal alleged that the hotel staff as well as the owner misbehaved with him and manhandled him. Even a police complaint was filed. Singhal had to seek accommodation in another hotel at an exorbitant rate.
No deficiency in services: OYO Rooms
Seeking dismissal of the complaint, OYO Rooms said it is one of the platforms in the hospitality industries, which operates in the name and style of “OYO Rooms”. They said the role of the OYO Rooms was only limited to the extent of booking through its platform. They said their representative had provided an alternative accommodation in another hotel, but the complainant refused. Thereafter, as a goodwill gesture, an e-mail dated September 5, 2019, was sent to the complainant, offering a refund of the booking difference amount for non-OYO Hotel (post sharing invoice), cab charges and a complimentary stay with OYO of ₹1,000, which was vehemently denied.
Had stopped accepting OYO bookings since August 15: Owner
Also seeking dismissal of the complaint, hotel owner Maninder Thakur said the hotel had stopped taking OYO bookings from August 15, 2019. He also showed the notice affixed on the main door of the hotel, where it was mentioned that they did not accept bookings from OYO. He alleged that the complainant was in an inebriated state when he visited the hotel on September 1, 2019, and misbehaved with the female receptionist and also manhandled him.
