Still waiting for a MakeMyTrip refund? Here’s how to complain

You cancel a flight or hotel, you’re told a refund is on its way, and then you wait….and wait.

Refund delays can become particularly frustrating when you booked through a travel platform such as MakeMyTrip. You may find yourself caught between MakeMyTrip and the airline or hotel, with each pointing you towards the other.

So, who should you contact, how long should you wait and what can you do if your MakeMyTrip refund doesn’t arrive?

Start by checking your booking

First, sign in to the MakeMyTrip app or website and go to ‘My Trips’. MakeMyTrip directs customers here to check existing bookings, cancellations and refund status. Check what your booking says about the cancellation and refund. Take screenshots showing the refund status and any estimated timescale you’ve been given.

It’s also worth checking the original cancellation terms. The amount you’re entitled to receive can depend on the airline, hotel or other travel provider’s cancellation policy, as well as the type of booking you made.

Why is your MakeMyTrip refund taking so long?

One reason refunds can become complicated is that MakeMyTrip acts as an intermediary for many bookings. Its terms say that refunds following cancellations are generally processed according to the relevant service provider’s policy and are subject to MakeMyTrip receiving the refund from that provider. MakeMyTrip says it will make efforts to process a refund within 24 hours of receiving it from the service provider. Different arrangements apply to transactions more than six months old.

If MakeMyTrip tells you it’s waiting for the airline or hotel, ask it to confirm whether the provider has authorised or sent the refund. If you’ve already spoken to the airline or hotel and they’ve confirmed they’ve released the money, keep that confirmation.

You then have something specific to challenge rather than simply asking, “Where’s my refund?”

Your flight was cancelled

If an airline cancels or changes your flight, check what the airline has told you as well as the information showing in your MakeMyTrip account.

MakeMyTrip says flight tickets are subject to the relevant airline’s cancellation and refund policies. It also says that if you cancel directly with the airline, you need to tell MakeMyTrip so it can start the refund process.

Don’t assume that cancelling with the airline automatically completes everything at MakeMyTrip’s end. Keep the airline’s cancellation email, any confirmation of the refund and your MakeMyTrip booking reference.

Your hotel booking was cancelled

The same basic principle applies to hotel bookings, start by checking the cancellation terms attached to your particular reservation. A fully refundable booking and a non-refundable room rate can leave you in very different positions.

If the hotel cancelled the booking or has confirmed that it approved a refund, ask for that confirmation in writing. You can then send it to MakeMyTrip if there’s a dispute about whether the refund has been authorised.

How to complain to MakeMyTrip

If your refund hasn’t arrived within the timescale you’ve been given, contact MakeMyTrip through its customer support service. For an existing booking, it’s usually best to start through ‘My Trips’ so your complaint is linked to the correct reservation. MakeMyTrip also currently lists customer support numbers for flights, hotels and holidays on its website.

When you complain, include:

• your MakeMyTrip booking reference
• the date and amount you paid
• when and why the booking was cancelled
• the refund amount you’re expecting
• any confirmation from the airline or hotel
• what MakeMyTrip has already told you.

Ask for a complaint or ticket reference and keep it. You’ll need this if you have to escalate the complaint.

Don’t let MakeMyTrip and the travel provider send you in circles

This is where keeping a clear record really helps, if MakeMyTrip says the airline hasn’t refunded it, but the airline says it has, ask both sides for written confirmation of the refund status and any relevant transaction or refund reference.

Be specific about what you need. Rather than repeatedly asking for an update, ask who currently holds the money, whether the refund has been authorised and when you should receive it. Keep screenshots, emails and chat conversations together. They can become important evidence if you need to escalate the dispute.

Escalate your complaint to MakeMyTrip

If customer support doesn’t resolve your complaint, MakeMyTrip has a formal grievance process. Its current terms say you can contact its Grievance Officer after you’ve already raised a complaint and it hasn’t been resolved to your satisfaction, or where the concern hasn’t been resolved within 30 days of the complaint ticket being generated. You’ll need your booking reference and complaint ticket ID.

MakeMyTrip currently estimates that the Grievance Officer will endeavour to address an escalated concern within 30 days. When you escalate, keep your complaint short and chronological. Explain what happened, when you first complained, what you’ve been told and exactly what you want MakeMyTrip to do.

Take your complaint to the National Consumer Helpline

If you’re still getting nowhere, you can raise your complaint with India’s National Consumer Helpline (NCH). You’ll receive a unique docket number and the complaint can be forwarded to the relevant company or authority for a response. The NCH says the process may take up to 30 days to reach a conclusion. You can upload the evidence you’ve already collected rather than starting your story from scratch.

Complaining about an airline?

If the underlying problem is with an airline rather than MakeMyTrip,for example, a cancelled flight or an airline refund dispute, you also have a specialist escalation route. The National Consumer Helpline directs airline related grievances to the Government of India’s AirSewa portal.

This distinction matters. If your dispute is about MakeMyTrip failing to pass on money it has received, your complaint is with MakeMyTrip. If the airline itself hasn’t provided a refund you believe you’re entitled to, you may also need to pursue the airline.

What if you still don’t get your money back?

If the National Consumer Helpline can’t resolve your complaint, you can consider taking it to the appropriate Consumer Commission. The NCH describes itself as a pre-litigation service and makes clear that you can approach a Consumer Commission if your grievance isn’t satisfactorily resolved. You may not need to go that far. A clear complaint backed up with your booking details, cancellation confirmation and refund correspondence may be enough to get things moving.

The important thing is to keep pushing the complaint forward rather than getting stuck between MakeMyTrip, the airline and the hotel. Find out who is responsible for the outstanding refund, get their position in writing and escalate when you need to.

If you have any thoughts on this topic, or any other consumer issues you would like us to cover, feel free to get in touch with us at support@resolver.co.uk.

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