Chennai: The District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum, Chennai (North) has directed an online ticketing website to pay Rs 60,000 to a person for cancelling his confirmed air ticket for travelling from Chennai to New Delhi on Spice Jet Airline abruptly and failure to refund the ticket amount for over two years.
In the petition, R. Ashish Kumar, Vepery submitted that he booked an air ticket through website, www. travelchacha.com on May 15, 2014 to travel from Chennai to New Delhi through Spice Jet Airline.
He booked the ticket for his father Ramesh Chand, who was scheduled to fly on June 24, 2014. Ashish Kumar paid Rs 5,390 through his SBI credit card. However, on May 28, 2014 the website sent a mail stating that the ticket was cancelled and the ticket amount would be refunded in seven days.
Since then, he contacted the customer care of the website several times seeking refund. Though the website assured on several occasions that it would refund the amount, it failed to repay the amount.
Even after issuing notice, the amount was not refunded to Ashish Kumar. In the petition, he contended that act of the website was nothing but an unfair trade practice.
Hence, he sought direction to Travel Chacha, Karol Bagh, New Delhi to refund the ticket amount and for compensation for causing mental agony. As the website represented by its authorised signatory remained absent, it was set ex-parte.
The President of the bench, K. Jayabalan and member T. Kalaiyarasi, said even after assurance by the website through an e-mail established the adamant attitude of the online portal.
Therefore, in the circumstances it would be appropriate to direct the website to pay a sum of Rs 50,000 to the petitioner as compensation for causing mental agony and to refund the ticket amount of Rs 5,390 with a sum of 5,000 towards litigation cost.
