Jaipur District Commission Holds Oyo Rooms Liable For Failure To Provide Promised Services As Part Of Holiday Package

Brief Facts:

The Complainant contacted OYO Holidays (“Oyo”) to organize a tour for his and his companion's family. The tour included various tourist destinations such as Jaipur, Bikaner, and others, with arrangements made for transportation, hotel accommodation, sightseeing, and itinerary customization. The Complainant made an advance payment of the total amount of ₹ 1,23,896/- to Oyo. The package included four adults and two children, with prior arrangements for cab and driver information three days before the journey. However, Oyo failed to provide timely information regarding the cab and driver, causing inconvenience to the Complainant and his family.

When the journey commenced on November 11, 2018, the cab provided by Oyo had a fake number plate which was later seized by recovery agents due to pending finance, resulting in the forcible removal of the passengers and their belongings. Despite notifying Oyo of the issue, Oyo failed to provide a satisfactory resolution or proper arrangements for the journey. Eventually, after significant delays, the Complainant arranged another vehicle for the journey. Due to these disruptions, the initial programs of the tour were disrupted, causing embarrassment to the Complainant. Upon reaching the hotel in Bikaner, Oyo failed to provide a cake and a bouquet for a marriage anniversary celebration as per the package. The Complainants had to purchase them separately.

After failed communications with Oyo, the Complainant approached the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission, Jaipur-I (“District Commission”) and filed a consumer complaint.

Observations by the District Commission:

The District Commission noted that Oyo failed to provide the agreed services which resulted in additional expenses incurred by the Complainant. The additional arrangements included transportation to complete the trip in Jaipur, visiting Karni Mata Temple for which another vehicle had to be hired for Rs. 11,000/-, and purchasing a cake and bouquet separately, along with toll taxes. It held that the Complainant's entire journey experience was compromised because of the actions of Oyo.

Further, Oyo sent a vehicle with a fraudulent number plate, which caused distress and inconvenience to the Complainant. Therefore, the District Commission held Oyo liable for deficiency in services.

The Complainant demanded the full amount of Rs. 1,23,896/- as compensation. However, considering the partial provision of services by Oyo, the District Commission held it unfair to award the full amount. Hence, the District Commission directed Oyo to refund Rs. 61,948/- to the Complainant. Additionally, the District Commission directed Oyo to pay Rs. 3,000/- as compensation for mental anguish and Rs. 2,000/- for the litigation costs incurred by the Complainant.