Consumer Court slaps ₹5K penalty on Airbnb for accidental injury to infant

A district consumer disputes redressal commission in Chandigarh recently imposed a penalty of ₹10,000 on homestay marketplace Airbnb and a host for accidentally injuring a 6-month-old child while cleaning the property [Tanya Sharma v Airbnb and Anr.]..Commission President Pawanjit Singh and members Surjeet Kaur and Suresh Kumar Sardana took note of an email exchange between the complainants and Airbnb, which indicated that Airbnb and the caretaker had admitted to the incident and apologised for it."Perusal of email sent by the OPs clearly indicates that the OPs have admitted the incident dated 6.3.2022 when the six months old daughter of the complainant, wrapped in a blanket, had fallen down while the room was being cleaned by the caretaker of the OPs and the OPs had also apologized for the same," the order dated May 2 recorded..The consumer commission was hearing a complaint filed by the mother of the child. As per the complainant, she and her husband had booked a room through Airbnb for their vacation in Goa.She alleged that when they were about to check out of the property, the property's caretaker pulled the blankets and pillows from the bed where the complainant's 6-month-old daughter was sleeping, causing her to fall and suffer injuries.This, as per the complainant, amounted to deficiency in service. Since her claim for compensation was not admitted by Airbnb, she approached the consumer commission. .Airbnb did not appear and was proceeded against ex-parte.The caretaker of the property opposed the complaint. He informed the commission that his act was not intentional and that he had already apologised for the same. .The commission, however, opined that the incident happened due to the negligence of the caretaker. Therefore, the act amounted to deficiency in service, the commission held. It further observed that Airbnb had offered a refund which was never processed..Accordingly, the commission allowed the complaint and directed both Airbnb and the property caretaker to pay ₹5,000 to the complainant as compensation, along with an additional ₹5,000 for litigation costs.. [Read Order]