I made a booking for the hotel in Digha through Booking.com on 24th December. The booking was made and it was made through OYO for 25th December 2020. This means the booking was forwarded to OYO by Booking.com and OYO confirmed the booking. My booking id is 2869050145.
OYO assigned me a hotel in Digha and sent me an SMS to make payment to confirm the booking. The hotel name was "SPOT ON 71367 Hotel New Digha International"(screenshot attached). I made payment through internet banking and went to the hotel in Digha with my family.
Now after the journey when I reached the hotel during the afternoon the hotel manager said they do not have to tie up with OYO and refused to honor the bookings. They said they had tie-ups but they have broken tie-ups weeks back. I tried to convince them but they refused to entertain me. This is the point where harassment started.
I first then tried to contact the property owner through the number that was given in the initial email when the booking was made. The call went to the same person who just denied me check-in. He again told me to call OYO and refused to honor the bookings.
Then I tried to reach customer care of OYO. After several desperate attempts, I was connected to a customer care representative. I explained everything to CCR who then again forwarded my calls saying she cannot help. And this again went on and on for several minutes. Finally, I got frustrated and told them I am tired of this and shouted at them that my family and my baby are on road for the last several hours because of the unprofessional behaviour of OYO.
Finally, after some time I received a call from OYO customer care. He said sorry and said that the hotel detail has been forwarded to my mobile. I said I already have details on email when I made bookings. Then he said that hotel detail has been updated. I was shocked that after so many hours they updated hotel details without my consent. I made a booking after checking the hotel condition online and they assigned a new hotel 4 hours after check in time and that too without my consent. And my family was suffering because of them. My baby was continuously crying which made me feel frustrated and bad and I got angry as well. But I had no option. I was new to Digha So I tried to follow the location of the new assigned hotel that was sent over SMS(screenshot attached).
As you can see I received this SMS at 4:13 PM which is already too late. I should have booked another hotel rather than watching my family suffer. Yet I allowed them to make my family suffer.
So after several hours of attempt OYO customer care responded and assigned another Hotel. This time the hotel name was "Hotel Sea Palace". I followed their map instruction and after great difficulty managed to find this new hotel. I went to this hotel and my shock, this hotel also denied my check-in. I told them that I have been confirmed a booking in this hotel but they rudely said they do not have any empty room.
Again after several attempts OYO customer care responded and said they are talking with a property owner to assign a room. My check-in was in the afternoon and by this time it was 5 PM and for so long my family and kid were standing on a road in Cold. It was getting darker now and OYO customer care kept on telling them to wait they have asked the property owner to assign a room but the room was never assigned.
OYO customer care told me they are on call with the property owner and the property owner has agreed to give me a room and instructed their staff to allow me a room. I repeated the same to the hotel staff that was available at that time. But they again refused to honor the bookings and give me a room. OYO customer care again told me that he is talking with the property owner and the property owner is asking them to give me room. This went for a long. Finally, I could not see my family suffer anymore so I booked another hotel myself and informed OYO CCR.
OYO CCR said I will not get a refund as a property owner is now ready to give room. They are still saying the same thing and denied a refund.
If the property owner was ready to give room then why were we not given room immediately?
Why the wrong hotel was assigned initially?
Why my family had to wait on the road for hours to get a room whose payment was already done?
Whose mistake is this that my baby got ill due to sitting outside on road in cold for hours?
And why a new hotel was assigned only when I made a complaint to OYO on reaching the first Hotel?
10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour? How long does OYO expect us to wait?
Is this how easily a business venture can harass common people in our country?
Would I ever be able to get my refund?
OYO customer care seems to have no account for 6-7 hours delay and the harassment they caused to me and my family. And when I finally booked the hotel myself after 6 hours of waiting to ease the suffering of my family then they said you will not get a refund as their property owner was now ready to give room.
Is this behaviour with consumers legal?
Do I deserve a refund in the eyes of law?
- Thank You! We appreciate your effort.
