Failure To Refund Cancelled Booking Amount: Chandigarh Consumer Commission Holds Airbnb Liable
Apoorva Pandita
14 July 2026 7:15 PM IST
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-II, U.T. Chandigarh, comprising President Mr. Amrinder Singh Sidhu and Member Mr. B.M. Sharma, has partly allowed a consumer complaint against Airbnb India Pvt. Ltd. for failing to refund a booking amount despite acknowledging the complainant's entitlement to the refund. The Commission held that Airbnb's failure to process the refund within a reasonable time, despite repeated assurances, amounted to deficiency in service and an unfair trade practice.
Brief Facts
The Complainant had booked a property in London for her vacation through Airbnb India Pvt. Ltd., paying Rs.60,326/-. However, she later cancelled the booking due to some personal reasons and sought a refund. As per the complaint, Airbnb acknowledged her request and repeatedly assured her through customer support that the refund will be processed soon. But the refund was never initiated. The complainant also checked with her bank and even served a legal notice to Airbnb Pvt Ltd. Finally, aggrieved by all this, she approached the Consumer Commission.
None appeared for the opposite parties despite notices being served.
Decision
The Chandigarh Commission noted that Airbnb's own chat record acknowledged that they had admitted the booking cancellation as well as the complainant's entitlement to a refund. The bank records confirmed that the refund was never credited despite assurances by Airbnb.
As a result, the Commission held that once Airbnb admitted that the complainant was entitled to a refund, they were bound to process it within a reasonable time. Their failure to do so, despite repeated requests by the complainant amounted to deficiency in services and unfair trade practices which caused the complainant financial loss, inconvenience and mental harassment. Therefore, the bench directed Airbnb to refund Rs.60,326.44/- with 9% annual interest from the date of filing the complaint, along with Rs.10,000 as compensation and litigation costs.
Case Title: Tanya Walia vs Airbnb & Ors.
Case Number: DC/AB1/44/CC/70/2025
