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
Fraudulent practice by the MakeMyTrip staff (Makemytrip (india) Pvt. Ltd.) Open
Dear Mr. Kalra, It is with deep regret I have to inform you about the fraudulent practice being carried out by the staff at MMT. Case summary (#NL*************): I booked a Europe trip for * nights (March **th to March **th) with MakeM...
May 18, 2020 by Anshu Katiyar
Refund amount not transferred (Goibibo airlines) Open
I have booked a ticket from goibibo but i had to reschedule it as it was in the early days of lockdown after which flights got suspended. While rescheduling I had a refund amount of **** INR which would have been refunded to goibibo as you can...
May 17, 2020 by Abhishek Mahajan
Poor services and lack of accountability thereafter (Make My Trip Pvt Ltd) Open
Lack of support from makemytrip in rescheduling flight from Paris to Delhi which was allowed by airline at free of cost. Consequently, had to book a new ticket and have been requesting makemytrip to refund the original ticket amount. Makemytrip...
May 16, 2020 by TANUPRIYA
Flight Refund (Goibibo) Open
I have booked ticket for Delhi to Bhubaneswar Vistara Flight which was on *rd April . But it got cancelled due to COVID situation . So , I called to Vistara Airline and ask for refund . They have initiated my refund on **th March itself. And to...
May 16, 2020 by Dheeraj Manchanda
Online shopping fraud (Live your own style LYOS ) Open
On *th may i was order a ** set resistance bands from a link of Live your own style, which i got from Facebook . There was no facilities of cash on delivery so i was paid them from my debit card , after that they send * mail about my order su...
May 15, 2020 by SUVANKAR DEY
Refund not received from travel agent (Orient Tourism Pvt Ltd ) Open
Dear Voxya Customer Service:: This is regarding five return tickets from Bengalaru to Mumbai on March **, **** by Go Air. These tickets were purchased through "Orient Tourism Pvt Ltd" in Vashi, Navi Mumbai. The last name of all five passenger...
May 14, 2020 by Radha Govindrajan
Goibibo flight tickets refund (Goibibo) Open
I booked a flight ticket for * members from Bangalore to Trivandrum for March ** ****. But I could not travel because of Covid-** issue. But they have not refunded the amount nor given option of booking tickets for alternative date....
May 14, 2020 by Subash Lal R
REFUND AND CANCELLATION (Veena world) Open
We have booked tour with Veena World on **th Jan **** and on **nd Jan **** Veena World cancelled the tour due to non availability of seats and convinced us to postpone the tour to * April **** which was previously scheduled on ** March ****. ...
May 14, 2020 by Tabresh Shaikh
Refund of Flight Amount (Make My Trip) Open
This is with reference to my flight booking dated **.**.**** BOM -SIN and return on **.**.**** SIN-BOM. The said booking was cancelled by me due to the death of my family member. The cancellation was done ** hours before and as per my discussio...
May 12, 2020 by Dhaval Prabhu
Airlines agent (Make My Trip.com) Open
Complaint: *. I have booked a flight ticket for two persons i.e. Venkataraman Sekharan and A.M.Parvathy on **th March **** for travel by indigo flight on ** April ****. (encl.*). *. Since the lock down was extended by Government of India, I...
May 12, 2020 by Venkataraman sekharan
Goibibo not refunding the Hotel Booking amount (Goibibo) Open
Hi team, I am writing to you to raise an issue regarding my hotel booking refund with Goibibo. I had to cancel my booking in Radisson Hotel, Agra back in March due to the outbreak of Corona Virus. But I haven't recieved the refund amount till d...
May 11, 2020 by Mridul Mani Goswami
Refund Not Made (GOIBIBO COM IBIBO GROUP PRIVATE LIMITED floor Tower A B C Epitome Building No 5 DLF Cyber City Phase III GurgaonIndia) Open
On **.**.**** I had booked hotel River View Retreat, Jim Corbette National Park for the period **.**.**** to **.**.****. Then on **.**.**** I came to know that govt. may declare complete lock down on account of COVID-** for **.**.****, so I req...
May 11, 2020 by Wasiqur Rahman Khan
Refund for air tickets from GOIBIBO (Goibibo company ) Open
No response on refund! Mailed them no response .. customer care no response... face book post just one reply asking from details... after submitting details no response! https://www.facebook.com/************/posts/*****************/?d=n...
May 11, 2020 by Disha
Goibibo not refunding the amount (Goibibo) Open
I am writing to you to raise an issue about: Train Services The issue that I have experienced was: Hi Team, My name is Sanil. My registered mobile no with goibibo is **********. I have two train tickets booked for may *th and may **th. Now ...
May 10, 2020 by Sanil mohan
Money paid to driver and money got deducted from Ola postpaid account (OLA CAB BANGALORE) Open
I took a ride in OLA cab on Jan **th ****. At the end of the ride the driver asked me *** rupees which was the cab fare. Once the ride was completed, the pop up comes to pay Rs *** by cash in driver moby. At that time I didn't know that my Ola ...
May 10, 2020 by Uma shankar biswal
Kesia holidays (Kesia holidays) Open
hello all i have booked the honeymoon package through kersia holidays and i have paid aroung ***** for air ticket and ***** for advance to kesia holidas on feb ** (*****) and **,*** on feb **th ,due to the coronova virus all the flight...
May 09, 2020 by Vikram Hegde
Refund of cancelled train tickets (Goibibo and Irctc) Open
My train tickets having journey date *nd April, **rd April ,*rd May and *th May ,all cancelled due to nation wide corona lockdown, but it's now over ** days stilll no refund from ur end . Checked all through IRCTC , I found all tickets amount ...
May 08, 2020 by Dandapani desati
Refund for cancelled train (Goibibo and Irctc) Open
I have booked train tickets through goibibo for May * **** and may * ****. Both the trains were cancelled due to lockdown IRCTC have initiated the refund long back still I have received it. Im in a tough situation now I need that money immediat...
May 08, 2020 by Jebin J
Amount not refunded in my account (IRCTC) Open
My pnr number is ********** , *th apr ****, * people, amt: *** rs ********** , **th mar **** , * people , amt: *** rs actually there is only two tickets in which my amount has not been refunded in my account so please check the details and ...
May 07, 2020 by Vikas Kumar
Hotel booking cancellation refund not possible (Make My Trip) Open
I had booked a room at Hotel Mountview, Chandigarh for * days from *nd to *th of July ****, to attend a medical conference through Make my trip. In view of the prevailing situation, the conference is cancelled. Therefore i want to cancel my boo...
May 07, 2020 by Dr Sachin George
"I was unable to get in touch with anyone in Byjus nor with my counselor regarding my problem for 3 months. But Voxya team helped me solve my issue very soon. Thank you!"
Mamta D
Complaint filed against: Byju's