Want to book your hotel through OYO? Think twice before booking, else you might land up paying your hotel bills twice.
Former journalist and a current researcher with the Sydney Democracy Network (SDN), Debasish Roy Chowdhury has ended up not only paying additional amount than the tariff shown while booking for a hotel in Assam capital city Guwahati but also had to face harassment by the hotel authorities in the form of disconnection of the air conditioner in the room allotted to him.
Chowdhury booked for a three nights stay at a hotel in Guwahati through OYO. While booking through Make My Trip app, he was allotted an air conditioned room at Swagatom Lodge (OYO 16696) in city’s Dispur area.
He had made full payment of Rs. 2157 for three nights (Check in July 19, Check out July 22, 12 noon). However, the hotel authorities have demanded him to pay an additional Rs. 1800.
“I have been trying to convince that I have paid the full amount and showed them the receipt generated after booking through the OYO. However, they are demanding that I have to pay Rs. 1800. I don’t know why I should pay when I have already made the full payment online while booking for the room?” said Debashis, a former deputy editor with the Hong Kong based newspaper, South China Morning Post.
Worst is the fact that, while Debashis was trying to sort out things with the OYO, the hotel authorities have denied the air conditioner to him saying that there was a power cut in the city.
“The managers and the staffs of the hotel have been extremely rude to me and demanding the amount of Rs. 1800 again and again. I have also been denied AC, which is controlled from the reception, even though I paid for an AC room,” said Debashis, a Jefferson Fellow.
Debashis, who has lived and worked in India, Brazil, Thailand, Beijing and Hong Kong, and has reported from Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Philippines and Qatar, was in Assam on a research project and said that he had never experienced such an incident.
On contacted, owner of the Swagatom Lodge, Parthajit Baruah only said that the customer has to pay the additional amount.
“I cannot help it. Mr. Chowdhury has to pay the amount. We have got the booking through OYO. The system is showing a balance amount of Rs. 1800 and he has to pay it,” the owner told Northeast Now.
He, however, failed to give an explanation for the goof up.
When contacted through call centre no, OYO officials said that there is an additional charge of Rs. 1800 as early check in charge as the customer had checked in early into the hotel 12.30 am on July 19.
Chowdhury, however, said that he had checked in at 12.30 pm on July 19 and that there is no scope for imposition of any early check in charge.
“That is wrong. I have checked in at 12.30 pm. How can there be early check in charge?” he added.
The hotel authorities have also confirmed that Chowdhury checked in at 12.13 pm and not 12.30 am.