Consumer commission orders Goibibo to pay Rs 1.34 lakh after refund dispute
A Himachal Pradesh consumer commission ruled that Goibibo must refund Rs 49,107 with interest and pay additional compensation after failing to return money to a passenger.
The Himachal Pradesh State Consumer Commission confirmed a lower-court directive that Goibibo must return Rs 49,107 to a passenger, plus 9% yearly interest, Rs 20,000 for mental distress, Rs 15,000 for litigation costs, and an extra Rs 50,000 for breaching its GoCash Plus guarantee. The bench, led by President Inder Singh Mehta and member Yogita Dutta, emphasized that once Goibibo received the airline’s refund, it was legally obligated to pass the money to the customer promptly.
Crediting the sum to the GoCash wallet was deemed insufficient because the passenger had paid online and had not consented to that method. Goibibo’s argument that it acted merely as a booking intermediary was rejected, and the commission noted the lack of evidence that the airline’s refund was transferred to the passenger’s bank account. The passengers’ request for a larger Rs 4.41 lakh payout, based on the hourly delay compensation, was dismissed as excessive.
