Got fooled by a tour operator? This story is an eye-opener for you

BENGALURU: Taken for a ride by a tour-travel operator while on the go to a dream destination? Then, this could be a lesson worth taking.

After being let down by the agent and bus operator on a trip to Goa, this passenger made sure the operator paid a price for it.

After two years of pursuance, for the package tour priced at Rs 6,500 per head, a consumer court ruling in this passenger’s favour, has ordered Rs 46,991 compensation along with Rs 5,000 for the mental agony suffered.

An order to this effect was passed by Bangalore urban II additional district consumer disputes redressal forum, Shantinagar on August 6.

The case

The case pertains to one G S Guru. He with his friends, Venu Gopal and Sunil S had planned a trip to Goa on February 6, 2014. His mother, Anjana S, had booked tickets from one Geethanjali travels in Vijaynagar.

They were promised door delivery of tickets, a multi-axle Volvo, semi-sleeper, air-conditioned and video coach, besides accommodation and sightseeing.

But the promises changed one after another.

First, instead of seats L13, L14 and L15, a message sent to them said that their seats have been changed to R6, R7 and R8 and that the journey timing was 10 pm.

When the petitioners were waiting for their designated bus with number 406, they received another message that said that the bus number had been changed to 407.

When the bus came, it turned out that it was not a Volvo semi-sleeper AC as was promised.

“With all difficulties complainants reached Goa on 07.02.2014 by 11.30 am, even though the bus had not stopped anywhere to facilitate the boarders to attend to nature’s call. After reaching Goa by 11.30 am, the complainants were asked to stand near the bus stand at Panjim,” the order describes.

Further, they were made to wait till 12.30 pm. Then after the petitioner’s mother complained, a taxi was sent. But then the driver sought for the hotel accommodation slip, which had not been given to the petitioner by the tour operator.

As slip was absent, the taxi driver had left them there itself, it said.

In an unknown place, the three had been left in lurch with the tour operator letting them down. However the trio managed to get a room at Rs.3 500 per day. On 09.02.2014, they received a message from the travel operators for the return journey.

After horror, moving consumer forum

After the horrific experience, the aggrieved decided not to keep quiet and moved the consumer forum in September 2014.

Seabird Tourists, against whom allegations had been leveled, put up a defense in writing. Denying any wrongdoing, it made a counter charge alleging that the petitioners broke the terms of the package.

It maintained that arrangements had been made as per the catalogue and the petitioners had avoided joining the same. It had claimed that petitioners had gone to the unknown place themselves and were blaming the tour operators unnecessarily.

It stated that false and frivolous charges had been made with false intentions to harass them and that there was no deficiency of service from either Geethanjali Travels or Seabird Tourists. Praying for dismissal of complaint, it had sought Rs 2 00 000 for exemplary costs.

Conclusion

However, the consumer forum held that the written arguments filed by opposition party (OP) were without supportive documents.

“Hence the OP1 (Seabird Tourists) has filed the written arguments without any supportive documents by denying all the averments made by the complainants not even single document adduced by the OP1 to prove that AC service had been provided,” the forum observed in its order.

The forum held that the complainants proved the deficiency in service on the part of OP1 through relevant documents and hence the opposite parties were liable to pay compensation.

It ordered compensation to be paid within 30 days of receiving the order. However, the operators can challenge the same further.

“These people (travel and tour operators) promise a package, collect money, and then fail to keep up the promise. All the numbers given were either not answered or switched off. Similar cases happen with several thousand passengers. Hence this case will set a precedent and operators will know that they can’t get away with broken promises,” Anjana S told Bangalore Mirror.