Travel Complaints
There are various modes of transportation in India be it through air, sea or land. Indian transportation, due to its immense population, is one of the most widely used in the world.
For traveling within India people generally prefer to rent a car or travel via train or bus as they deem convenient. Ola and Uber are prime examples of this. These startups have skyrocketed and are one of most used traveling apps in the India.
Meanwhile, many people prefer to travel via plane as it saves times. For this they either book the ticket through the website directly or look for agents to do the same.
Apart from big names there are some private travel agencies in Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata etc, which try to lure customers by offering them lucrative discounts. Travel agent frauds are quite prevalent in India. The most common travel agent/agency complaints include refund not provided, hotel denying check-in, fake promises etc.
Travel complaints have a sense of urgency and responsibility attached to them because no one wants to board a late flight or wants to stay in low-quality hotel.
We all want our travels and trips to be smooth right from the beginning. And if something does not go as per our expectations, the mood gets spoiled!
Therefore, it brings a significant responsibility on the shoulders of the travel companies to solve the issues faced by their customers. One should only book their hotels/flights via trustworthy sites to avoid getting duped. However, sometimes even these reputed travel companies commit an error.
In this article, we have covered the common travel complaints that are faced by customers and how you can resolve them.
But first lets check out the famous travel companies in India
Famous Travel Companies in India
1. Make My Trip
Make my Trip is one of the leading online travel companies in India. In 2000 it was founded by Deepak Kalra and had its headquarters in Gurugram, Haryana.
They have more than 14 company-owned travel stores in India and have over 30 franchisee-owned travel stores in India. They also have offices in Dubai, Phuket, Bangkok, New York, Kuala, and Lumpur.
2. Yatra:
Founded by Manish Amin, Sabina Chopra, and Dhruv Shringi in 2006, Yatra.com is the pre-eminent Indian online travel agency. It is based in Gurugram, Haryana. According to the sources in 2012, Yatra became the second-largest online travel service provider company in India.
3. OYO:
Oyo rooms, popularly known as Oyo hotels and rooms and stylized as OYO, is the fastest and largest growing hospitality chain in India. They worked on the franchising and leased system, which fortunately turned out to be the best for the company. Founded by Ritesh Agarwal in 2013, OYO gained much popularity right from the beginning.
4. GOIBIBO:
Subsidiary of Make My Trip Limited, Mauritius Ibibo, is a travel organization in 2006 by Ashish Kashyap. In 2013 Goibibo made it among the top five most trusted e-commerce brands in India.
5. HappyEasyGo:
Happy Easy Go is one of the emerging online travel company founded by Boris Zha in 2017. In 2019 it became the second-largest online travel booking platform in India and had more than 10 million customer bases all over the world. It has its headquarters in Gurugram, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hong Kong, and Singapore. During late 2018 HappyEasyGo established its hotel business.
6. Thomas Cook:
Thomas Cook (India) Ltd has its headquarters in Mumbai and caters to all the travel related requirements from visas to foreign exchange. They established themselves in India in 1881 and expanded its business to all the nearby countries.
7. Clear Trip:
Clear Trip earlier was known as Clear Trip Travel Services Private limited is a universal online travel company established in 2016. It has its headquarters in Dubai and Mumbai. In India, they started with a vision of making travel simple by bridging the gap between the Indian hospitality and travel sector. It was founded as an air and hotel aggregator by Stuart Crighton, Mathew Spacie, and Hrush Bhatt.
8. Travel Guru:
Travel Guru is India’s leading and growing travel website. It offers flights, holiday packages, and hotels at the best prices; they aim to make your trip smooth and convenient.
9. Travel Triangle:
Founded by three IIT graduates Sanchit Garg, Prabhat Gupta, and Sankalp Agarwal. It is India’s first fully stacked Holiday Marketplace that connects verified travel agents and travelers. It was founded in 2011 and competed with companies such as Thrillophilia. It is a platform that is trusted by many.
10. Travelocity India:
It is rated as one of the best online travel portals in the world and perfectly caters to the local needs of the people by launching specialized programs. In India, they cater to both business and leisure requirements.
Types of Travel Complaints
1. Tickets canceled, but money is not refunded:
One of the significant problems that are being faced by customers of major travel companies is that they cancel the tickets, but money is not credited to their bank account. This is the most common issue faced by almost all the consumers in cities like Pune, Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru.
During COVID-19 times, many have reported on the internet that they have booked tickets, and they got canceled due to the pandemic. However, the companies did not refund the amount. Either they are saying that they have refunded the amount, or instead, they are offering a credit voucher.
2. No refund for flights canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic:
Due to the global pandemic, suddenly, flights were canceled. It was reported by customers of many major travel companies that they did not get their refund; however, the airlines did return the full booking amount. Many customers were upset because the travel companies did not inform them about the refund from the airlines.
3. Partial refund for the flights canceled due to COVID-19:
Many customers reported that they did not receive the full amount of flights they booked pre-corona. However, airlines have refunded the entire amount, but travel companies did not credit the whole amount; instead, they deducted a certain amount without giving any valid reason.
4. No refund against booked packages:
Many planned trips in June assuming that pandemic will end, but in the wake of current times, still, the tourism industry is on hold.
As people booked packages for traveling and now are requesting for a refund, but many companies are simply denying it.
However, many customers are disturbed with it because, in these uncertain times, they are struggling so much to get their refund.
5. Unable to connect with customer care service:
Many customers from significant travel companies face this very issue when they contact the customer care, they are not entertained, or their complaints are not correctly handled.
Many faced this particular issue while they were contacting the customer care, and their complaints were not appropriately welcomed or they were not able to connect with them.
6. Fraudulent booking agents:
Many travel companies have their booking agents, but some fraudsters just dive in and cheat people.
Many customers from significant companies, including Make My Trip and Yatra complained that they had been cheated by fraudsters in the name of these companies, and they have demanded a refund from the company.
7. Rescheduling of flights due to COVID-19:
Due to Corona pandemic, many people had to reschedule their flights, but travel companies are not helping them or are not considering their request.
8. Over billing by travel companies:
The most common types of complaints regarding Ola and Uber include over billing issues and not returning the left item in the cab. But you can try contacting the customer care number of Ola which is 098842437 and customer care of Uber which is 1300091272.
How to resolve travel complaints?
1. File support ticket/send an email:
You can always contact travel companies through their official website by going to their contact us section and by sending them an email. Customer service emails of some leading travel companies are:
Yatra- support@yatra.com
Make My Trip- care@makemytrip.com
Happy Easy Go- cs@happyeasygo.com
Clear Trip- customersupport@cleartrip.com
Goibibo- travel@goibibo.com
Travel guru- service@travelguru.com
2. Call Customer support:
One of the perfect ways to directly come in contact with the travel company is by contacting it through phone call for customer support. All these well-known travel companies have a 24*7 working customer care number which helps in resolving complaints as they value customer feedback. The customer care number of some of the leading travel agencies and hospitality companies in India are :
Cox and Kings Customer Care Number - 1800 209 0400
Thomas Cook Customer Care Number - 1800 209 9100
Club Mahindra Holidays Customer Care Number - 044 6695 3435
Expedia Customer Care Number – 800-319-4834
Yatra Customer Care Number - 0124 3040500
Goibibo Customer Care Number - 1800 208 1060
Makemytrip Customer Care Number - 1800 102 8747
Travelguru Customer Care Number - +91 92111 77444
Oyo Customer Care Number - 093139 31393
RedBus Customer Care Number - 1860 121 2102
3. Report to the airlines/hotel directly:
As we have seen above, many customers have reported that the airlines and hotels have issued a refund, but the travel companies have not refunded the money in the bank accounts. It is always better to contact the airlines or hotels directly if the companies don’t issue a refund by time. You can contact the airlines and hotels by calling them on their customer care number or by sending the email.
4. Send Legal Notice:
Consumers can send legal notices to travel company in case it is unable to resolve his complaint. It is one of the efficient ways to handle the issue legally. Check below to know how to send a legal notice to travel company?
Step 1: Firstly, get a legal notice drafted by a lawyer.
Step 2: Check it properly and make sure it is signed by lawyer.
Step 3: Keep a copy of it for future purposes.
Step 4: Send the legal notice to travel company by registered post.
Step 5: Keep the slip or delivery report for evidence.
5. File consumer forum case:
Consumer forum deals with consumer complaints and you should approach consumer forum if you feel that your rights as a consumer have been violated.
If travel company is not responding to your complaints even after sending legal notice by a lawyer then you should file a case against it in a consumer court.
Here is how you can file a case in the consumer court?
Step 1: Intimate the aggrieved party via legal notice.
Step 2: Draft the consumer complaint
Step 3: Attach all the relevant documents and proofs to support your complaint.
Step 4: Select the appropriate court for filing the complaint.
Step 5: Pay the prescribed court fee that is required to be paid along with the complaint.
Step 6: Submit the case along with the affidavit & fees in the court.
If you feel uncomfortable doing all this yourself, then you should use Voxya to file a complaint against travel company. We will send Legal Notice and prepare Case for filing in consumer court. We, at Voxya, are generally receiving more than 100 travel consumer complaints every month.
Most Common Issue Reported for Travel Complaints
Complaints
Refund related issue (Zoomcar India Pvt Ltd) Open
Booking id is IDJPS*F**Z*. The booking was on the date of ** March and my refund should have reflected by ** April. I have talked to the bank and they haven't received the refund. It's not received by me. After calling to zoomcar they said th...
May 14, 2019 by Rohit Kabra
Ticket has not been booked (Goibibo) Open
The amount has been debited from my account but the ticket has not been booked. Pdf password- ***********....
May 14, 2019 by Ambresh kumar tiwari
Refund not given (Oyo) Open
Before check-in, I confirmed about early check-in and was advised it will around ***-***. However, I was charged ****₹ and they took my payment twice and not responding to my complaint. ...
May 14, 2019 by Shikha Singh
Seeking for refund (Travelgenio) Open
We as a group booked our tickets on Travelgenio and Cleartrip for travel between Delhi and Cancun on Air France. On the day of travel, Air France denied boarding due to security concerns and informed us to rebook via other routes and we shall b...
May 14, 2019 by Dr Rudraraju Venkata Murali
Booked room not given (Oyo Life) Open
I have moved to Pune and I checked a room in OYO Life (Property ID PUN***) to stay a safe and happy life for the long term. When I saw the room it was quite good and I wanted to book it. They don't have any direct booking option so I had to go ...
May 13, 2019 by Sanjeeb Kumar Panda
Not getting refund on cancellation of my booking (Oyo) Open
Today on ** May I have booked Oyo hotel embassy and cancelled the booking due to some circumstances and the location of the hotel which is not nearby the station. I have cancelled the booking without check-in within an hour but I didn't get my ...
May 13, 2019 by Vikash kumar
Airline reschedule loss (Makemytrip) Open
It was our *st wedding anniversary I and my husband decided to celebrate the same by travelling to Andaman Island. We booked our flight from Pune to Port Blair for dep on **th Feb night from Pune and return to Pune on **th Feb. While the first ...
May 13, 2019 by Mehak neeraj desai
Refund from wallet to bank not credited (Makemytrip (india) Pvt. Ltd.) Open
I requested to transfer collective money in wallet to Bank where the wiring details were collected. Money got debited from Mycash wallet on **th April for **k+ and didn’t credit for more than a week. Even despite several attempts to reach the...
May 13, 2019 by Richards Louis
Train late journey without announcement and intimation (South central Railway) Open
Today I travelling from Vijayawada to Madhira with a suitable ticket fare in Vij- Kazipeta passenger. This train right time is *:** pm but now it is *:** pm train not started from Vij. There is no announcement and intimation in tad display abou...
May 13, 2019 by K.Murali
Non refunded my money (Happy Easy Go) Open
I have booked a flight of Air India for my son Abhra Das as per the attached Ticket. Due to some unavoidable circumstances I wanted to cancel the booking but unable to do so as there was no provision at their portal. Then I got the ticket direc...
May 13, 2019 by Ashok Kumar Das
Unusual higher price paid (Ola Cabs) Open
While confirming the Ola Mini the price was shown ***/- (from Hafeezpet to Ramoji film city). Suddenly how comes without informing us price got hiked and after the ride to the destination it was ****/-. Which is three times more than the fare. ...
May 13, 2019 by Ajit Kumar sahoo
Amount not refunded (Sea Water Sports) Open
I am writing to you with the hope of help. I want to raise a complaint against a company called Sea Water Sports in Goa who take booking for water sports. Actually what has happened is I visited Goa in March month and booked a combo package for...
May 13, 2019 by Ankit Parnami
Unnecessary extra charges levied (Zoomcar India Pvt Ltd) Open
I booked a car booking id JPS*BLEYJ from **th April ** am to **th April at * pm. I picked up the car at around **:** am on **th as the car was yet to be cleaned. Also, the car seemed to be pretty old with already a lot of small damages. I infor...
May 13, 2019 by Ankit Rao
Bus cancellation done (Red Bus) Open
The Red Bus app showed Nilamadhab Travels running between Bokaro and Ranchi on **th of May ****. I got my ticket booked on it. Later when I called the bus operator he said that the bus was already cancelled but still it was showing on the app. ...
May 12, 2019 by Jyoti
Hotel booking not done (Oyo) Open
I have booked Oyo hotel in Shimla by Goibibo online app. I have booked * rooms in this hotel on ** March. My check-in date is ** May. Before * days of checking already confirmed my checking in a hotel by Oyo executive. Also, confirm before * ho...
May 12, 2019 by Sandip Borse
Refund not provided yet (Tybros India tours Pvt LTD) Open
Booked honeymoon package to Singapore from tybros. On ** Feb when we were just going to board the flight agent ( Kanika Gupta) called up said due to some technical issue, your room for the hotel wasn't booked. Please pay there for * night and w...
May 12, 2019 by Karishma Jain
Regarding refund for cancellation (Make My Trip) Open
I had made two flight bookings from Make My Trip using MMT black but had to cancel them due to some unforeseen circumstances, for which Make my trip is liable to pay me Rs. ***** as a refund into my original payment mode. I had made my cancella...
May 12, 2019 by Aishwarya Srivastava
Charged for ride in which I did not even board (Uber India) Open
Booked uber from Sispal Vihar, sector ** Gurgaon to Old Delhi railway station for my old parents on **/**/**** at * pm. After just * seconds the driver started the trip without picking anyone. I immediately called my parents to confirm whether ...
May 12, 2019 by Karan sharma
Unhygienic and filthy room (Oyo) Open
*) We booked a room through OYO for the Edition O ***** US Consulate on *th of May where we travelled from Mysore to Chennai with booking ID EAFS****. *) When we reached the hotel first they said lift is broken and then the credit card machi...
May 12, 2019 by Ranganath Guptha Ragavendra Singri
Accidental dash by the cab (Uber Cabs) Open
Today, On Hinjewadi crossing an UBER cab No. MH ** NB **** has dashed our car. The damage is on the front of the right wheel side. After giving a series of horns he doesn't stop and hit. Without any indicator, he was coming....
May 11, 2019 by Vivek Anand Gore
"The sales manager of the KFC agreed to add an additional product worth Rs.450 on my next KFC order from their outlet and he did that without any issues. Thanks to Voxya for helping in getting this sorted!"
Kimi Shrivastava
Complaint filed against: KFC