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 not given against my cancelled flight ticket (Goibibo India Private Limited) Open
I had booked my flight tickets through Goibibo for the month of June ****. Unfortunately, due to temporary shut down of Jet Airways, my flight ticket got cancelled and I received the intimation from Jet Airways as well as from Goibibo regarding...
May 11, 2019 by Deepesh Shahani
Refund not provided (Happy Easy Go) Open
I had booked a ticket from Bhopal to Mumbai on March **, ****, from Jet Airways through Happy Easy Go (HEG). However, the flight was cancelled and when I contacted the Jet Airways team for the refund it was told that since the booking was done ...
May 10, 2019 by Romil Dwivedi
Outstation ride got cancelled last minute (Ola Cabs) Open
I booked a ride to Alibaugon on May *th for May **th at *.** am. I received all the details about the ride and call from the driver * hour before the ride. Last minute while I sat ready and waiting for my ride I received a call by the driver th...
May 10, 2019 by Shachi Bhat
Fraud done with me (Oyo) Open
I was travelling to Shimla from New Delhi and booked Oyo ***** Cedar Tree in Shimla on **th April **** and made full payment as requested by the app cause advance payment was to be made prior to booking. I was accompanied by a friend of mine. W...
May 10, 2019 by Rishabh Mishra
Fraud by the company (Country Vacations) Open
We have filled some random coupon in a mall. Received a call from Ragaz banquets. They informed we got some lucky draw and told us to come to their office to receive our gifts. We went to their office they gave us some presentation about countr...
May 09, 2019 by Dyavanapelli Manjula
Tickets amount got deducted but there is no confirmation (Eventsnow) Open
Yesterday I tried to book the tickets but the amount got deducted but there is no confirmation from eventsnow. I raise the complaint against that through email but no response....
May 09, 2019 by Ravi
Refused to pay the refund (Oyo) Open
I had booked the Oyo hotel online as below on *th May,** with the help of Punit (customer executive). Oyo Hotel Booking Online - Oyo **** Mundana Suites, Booking Id: XNUY**** Check-in - *th May'** Check-out - **th May'** Address - Plot No...
May 09, 2019 by Vijendra Khole
Refund not received (Red Bus) Open
On March **th **** I had a failed transaction with Redbus. I followed up with them multiple times regarding this refund but they don't respond in a proper way. They have not refunded my amount to date. I need to file a case against these frauds...
May 08, 2019 by Sunny Chadha
Fraudulent travel agent (Reliable Leisure Holidays) Open
We booked our Thailand trip for * families with Reliable Leisure Holidays, Spencer Plaza, Chennai. We communicated Mr MadhuSudhan and Mrs Yogyalakshmi, The Proprietor of Reliable Leisure Holidays (Ph. ***** *****, ***** *****). It was discussed...
May 07, 2019 by Priyadharshini Dhinesh
Refund not done (Redbus.in) Open
The refund has still not been done for the ticket booked on * May ****. The Redbus has given me a false email regarding the calculative figure of total amount to be refunded ahead of bus cancellation by the operator. Ticket no. *********** for ...
May 07, 2019 by Shashwat Jaiswal
Refund not received (HOTEL MAA RUDRANI RESORT) Open
I booked two rooms in this hotel. After check-in, I found that bed bugs in both rooms, cockroaches in the room, tv /phone and geyser not working. When we complain the same with hotel team they offer us another room but the condition is the same...
May 07, 2019 by SANDEEP
Charged two times for the same trip (UBER) Open
I was charged twice by uber driver and money was automatically deducted from my paytm wallet out of my knowledge without my authorization. So I paid dual for a single trip. When I asked for a refund from uber they said cash payment is done outs...
May 07, 2019 by SHAHID MOHAMMEDZUBAIR SHAIKH
False commitment of free holiday vouchers (Royals Club International) Open
On **.**.****, we received multiple phone calls from the sales executives of the royals club international for a small presentation with free holiday coupon for * days and * nights. We attended their presentation at the hotel "the golden palm h...
May 07, 2019 by R.K. Singh
Refund not provided (Goibibo) Open
I had booked a hotel for my wife on **th April **** at "OYO Townhouse *** Sector **, Gurgaon" through a mobile application know as "Goibibo". Upon reaching the hotel at night **:** am my wife was denied entry as the gates were closed for the se...
May 07, 2019 by Yashvardhan Sejwal
Regarding refunding money (Oyo) Open
I had booked one room through the app on **th April. My booking id is DAYB****. As it is prepaid the property manager denied my check-in as they said they have already ended the contract. When I escalated this issue with their team. They said l...
May 07, 2019 by Kumar Ravi
Left us at mid point of travel without humanity (Mjt Travels) Open
I travelled in **** Chennai to Bodi MJT bus on **.**.**** with birth L* and L*. The bus stopped at Dindukal bus stand at **:** am on **.**.****. After information to cleaner, we got down for restroom which is opposite of the bus. On return, we ...
May 07, 2019 by Vijayan
Wrong hotel room allotted (Make My Trip Pvt Ltd) Open
I booked a hotel in Dubai from **th April to the *th of May for * adults on MMT. After reaching there I get to know that room was only for two people and MMT has given us the wrong booking....
May 07, 2019 by Nitesh mohite
Regarding refund of bus ticket (Redbus.in) Open
This complaint is regarding the refund of my money from RedBus. I booked one ticket on ** April ****. On **th they had initiated refund amount of ***.**. I have shared my bank details with them but till now I have not received any refund from t...
May 06, 2019 by SHIVAL CHADDA
Amount deducted but ticket not issued (Goibibo) Open
Ahmedabad to Dubai **/**/**** indigo and Dubai to Ahmedabad **/**/**** spice jet. The transaction was successful and payment deducted but ticket not issued....
May 06, 2019 by Prakash lalwani
Unprofessional behaviour by the company (Make My Trip) Open
When I booked a holiday to Udaipur through MMT (booking ID-NL*************) I thought this trip will end well but after that, all hell broke loose. My whole trip had problems of plenty by irresponsible MMT representatives who refused to help me...
May 06, 2019 by Hemant chahar
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