Changing the agreed upon itinerary without consent and then asking for extra payment from their customers has landed an online travel agency in hot water.
Holding the agency, Yatra Online Private Limited, guilty of causing the customers mental agony and harassment, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-1 has directed them to pay the customers ₹10,000 as compensation and ₹7,000 as litigation expenses.
Anu Goel, a resident of Sector 4, Panchkula, had submitted before the commission that she had booked a Dubai package for 18 people in 2018 at a cost of ₹7.43 lakh.
But when they left for the tour, they found that the 18 members had been divided into three groups. Also, though the tour included a full day’s visit to Abu Dhabi, it was excluded from the itinerary.
When the complainants insisted on this, they were forced to pay an extra ₹22,000. Then on the last day of the tour, a planned yacht ride was also cancelled without any reason.
Upon returning to India, the complainants sent an email to the travel agency, but got no apology or compensation.
Instead, in their written reply, the firm stated that they informed the complainants that the final tour programme will be confirmed on their arrival in Dubai and the complainant was provided with a complete tour itinerary much in advance. They also denied taking any extra amount from the group.
{{/usCountry}}Instead, in their written reply, the firm stated that they informed the complainants that the final tour programme will be confirmed on their arrival in Dubai and the complainant was provided with a complete tour itinerary much in advance. They also denied taking any extra amount from the group.
{{/usCountry}}The firm further claimed that the yacht ride was never promised to the complainants and they were also not charged for it.
Taking up the complaint, the consumer commission observed that the travel agency kept changing the itinerary from time to time and that too without the consent of the complainants from whom they had collected huge money.
“Therefore, it is not wrong to conclude that before collecting the money from the complainants, the firm left no stone unturned to show them dreams of a lavish trip, but immediately after receiving the money, they started imposing an itinerary upon them as per their own wish without having consent or discussion with the complainants,” the commission said, directing the firm to pay ₹17,000 to the complainants.