Back
2026 Supreme(Online)(CONSUMER) 26
DISTRICT CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION CHANDIGARH DISTRICT COMMISSION
Amrinder Singh Sidhu, President, Brij Mohan Sharma, Member
Tanya Walia – Appellant
Versus
Airbnb India Private Limited – Respondent
CONSUMER COMPLAINT NO. DC/AB1/44/CC/70/2025 | Consumer Complaint No : 70 of 2025
For the Appellants/Petitioners: Anchit Gupta
For the Respondents: Airbnb India Pvt Ltd
Failure to process a refund after acknowledging a customer's entitlement to it constitutes a deficiency in service and an unfair trade practice, entitling the consumer to the refund with interest and compensation for harassment.
Headnote:The complainant booked a property in London through the opposite party's platform for Rs. 60,326.44, which was subsequently cancelled due to personal reasons. Despite the opposite party acknowledging the refund request and providing assurances, the amount was not credited to the complainant's account, as verified by bank queries. The court found that the booking and the promise of refund were established by documentary evidence, and the opposite parties' failure to act constituted a breach of obligation. The primary issue was whether the failure to process a refund after admitting the complainant's entitlement constitutes a deficiency in service. The court reasoned that once the entitlement to a refund is admitted, there is a legal obligation to process the same within a reasonable period, and failure to do so amounts to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice. the present consumer complaint succeeds, the same is accordingly partly allowed and the OPs are directed as under:- i) to refund Rs.60,326.44/- to the complainant alongwith interest @ 9% per annum from the date of filing of this complaint i.e. 04.03.2025 till the date of its actual realization to the complainant. ii) to pay lump sum compensation of Rs.10,000/- to the complainant towards the harassment caused as well as litigation expenses.
| Table of Content |
|---|
| 1. booking cancellation and failure to refund the booking amount. (Para 1) |
ORDER
DISTRICT CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION-II, U.T. CHANDIGARH
======
Consumer Complaint No : 70 of 2025
Date of Institution : 04.03.2025
Date of Decision : 30.06.2026
Ms.Tanya Walia d/o Sh.Gagandeep Singh Walia, R/o House No.3171, Sector 37-D, Chandigarh. Mob No.+91-9779033171.
… … … Complainant
Versus
1. The General Manager, AIRBNB India Private Limited, Level 9, Spaze i-Tech Park A1 Tower, Sector 49, Sohna Road, Gurugram, Haryana 122018.
2. The General Manager, AIRBNB India Private Limited, 4 th Floor, Statesman House, Barakhamba Road, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001.
… … … Opposite Parties
BEFORE: MR.AMRINDER SINGH SIDHU, PRESIDENT
MR.B.M.SHARMA, MEMBER
Argued by:
Sh.Anchit Gupta, Advocate for Complainant.
OPs ex-parte.
ORDER BY AMRINDER SINGH SIDHU, M.A.(Eng.),LLM,PRESIDENT
1] The complainant has filed the present consumer complaint pleading that she booked an Airbnb property, "Large Studio 2min to Hendon Central Station", London, for the period 24.12.2024 to 30.12.2024 through the OP's platform on 14.08.2024 for her vacation. The booking amount was Rs.60,326.44/-. The booking confirmation is annexed as Annexure C-1 with the complaint.
It is pleaded that owing to unavoidable personal reasons, the complainant cancelled the booking and requested a refund of the booking amount. The OP acknowledged the refund request and assured the complainant that the refund would be processed, as evident from the chat records annexed as Annexure C-2 with the complaint. Despite repeated follow-ups through e-mails and the OP's customer support, the refund was not processed. The complainant was repeatedly asked to wait for 10–12 business days, but no refund was received. On the instructions of OPs, the complainant updated her payout details and verified with her bank regarding the alleged refund. She also raised a query with her bank after being informed that the amount had been credited. A copy of the query e-mail is annexed as Annexure C-3 with the complaint. The OP’s failure to refund Rs.60,326.44/- caused the complainant financial hardship and harassment. Consequently, the complainant served a legal notice dated 14.02.2025, demanded payment of Rs.1,22,136/-, comprising the refund amount, interest, compensation for mental agony and litigation expenses. The legal notice and its delivery receipt are annexed as Annexures C-4 and C-5 with the complaint. Despite service of the notice, no action has been taken by the OPs. Hence the present consumer complaint has been filed by the complainant seeking appropriate reliefs, including refund of the booking amount, compensation & litigation costs.
2] OP No.1 did not appear before this Commission despite service of notice, hence, it was proceeded against ex-parte vide order dated 06.05.2025.
3] Since notice sent to the OP No.2 was received back with the remarks ‘refused’ and none put in appearance before this Commission on behalf of OP No.2, hence, it was proceeded against ex-parte vide order dated 11.04.2025.
4] Complainant led evidence in support of her contention.
5] We have heard the learned counsel for the complainant and gone through the documents on record including written arguments.
6] The complainant has produced on record the booking confirmation (Annexure C-1), which establishes that she booked the Airbnb accommodation by paying an amount of Rs.60,326.44/-. It is also evident from the chat records (Annexure C-2) that after cancellation of the booking, the OPs acknowledged the complainant's request for refund and assured her that the amount would be refunded. However, despite repeated follow-ups, no refund was actually credited to the complainant. The complainant has also placed on record the copy of the query raised with her bank (Annexure C-3), which shows that although the OPs claimed that the refund had been processed, the amount was never credited to the complainant's account.
7] The OPs did not ap
