I had a bitter experience with cleartrip.com, when I tried to book hotel through their website. Appended below is the mail I had sent to them, which explains the problem in detail.

I am yet to get a response, leave apart the refund.



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vivek Kane <vivkane@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Aug 18, 2011 at 11:40 AM
Subject: Trip ID # 1108134498 -- refund issue
To: hotelcs@cleartrip.com
Cc: appi.kane@gmail.com

Kind Attention : Mr Kaid and Mr Amit

Reference :
Trip ID # 1108134401
Trip ID #1108134498
Our telephonic conversation on 13th Aug 2011, in the afternoon.


With reference to the referred Trip IDs, as confirmed by you during our referred telephonic conversation, both the bookings were cancelled.


In case of the first Trip ID, i.e. Trip ID # 1108134401 (for which we have received your mail appended below), as you have already confirmed during our referred telephonic conversation, we now look forward to receiving the refund.


Regarding the second one, i.e. Trip ID # 1108134498, the case was exactly identical to Trip ID # 1108134401, whereby during the booking, your website flashed exactly the same message as in the first case, saying 'Sorry, we cannot complete this booking as this offer has expired'. However, we were surprised when we received the mail from you saying that the booking was confirmed. Unfortunately, by that time, going by the message flashed on your website (that the booking was not through), we had already made alternative arrangement for our stay and that is the reason why we cancelled the booking under Trip ID #1108134498, during our referred conversation.


It was a matter of great disappointment and shock for us, when you told us during the referred conversation that under the Hotel's policy (Toshali Royal View Resort, Shimla), there will be 100 % deduction upon cancellation and the amount debited to our account cannot be refunded under the 'Hotel Policy'. As explained to you during our referred conversation, since your website displayed the final message as 'Sorry, we cannot complete this booking as this offer has expired', as far as we are concerned, the question of 'Hotel Policy' does not arise. It is for you to figure out what went wrong and why the booking was through, despite the message on you website clearly said that it was not through. If at all there is any such 'Hoel Policy' as claimed by you, it is entirely between Clear Trip and the Hotel to sort the matter out. You will appreciate that it is unfair to penalize us, for faults in your website / systems.


During our referred conversation you accepted this argument and said that you will find some way out and inform us regarding the refund in a couple of days. Since we have not heard from you since then, we presume you have not been able to resolve this matter we are now forced to take the matter to the Hon'ble District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Bhatinda.


This is for your information please.


Vivek Kane