Consumer forum orders tour advance refund for man who had Covid-19
Ghaziabad: The consumer forum has ruled in favour of a man seeking a refund of a tour advance after contracting Covid in 2021. The forum observed that since the cancellation was due to circumstances beyond the consumer's control, the tour operator must return the advance amount and a Rs 5,000 fine within 45 days of the order.
Petitioner Ishan Pratap Singh had booked a trip for his family from Mumbai to the Maldives between March 13 and 17, 2021, through Ineedtrip, a travel agency based out of Ghaziabad. Singh told the forum that he took a loan of Rs 1.4 lakh to pay a Rs 1.9 lakh advance to the company for the trip.
"I had to take a RT-PCR test (a medical test to determine Covid infection) as per prevailing travel norms, and was detected positive for the infection on March 12, a day before the trip," the petitioner said, adding that he requested the travel agency to reschedule the trip for May 22 that year.
However, the agency refused, stating that the free RT-PCR package was only valid until April 2021.
"Eventually, I decided to opt for April 1 as the travel date, but given the pandemic and my health condition, I had to reschedule it to Nov 2021. The agent said that if the trip was not availed by Sept 2021, the hotel with which the agency had tied up would forfeit the booking amount," Singh told the forum.
He added that the agency did not return the advance money, and he is still paying EMIs for the loan he took.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Что говорит о вашем характере поза, в которой вы спите!
Удивительные Новости
Undo
Despite being served with notice, the respondents neither filed a reply nor appeared before the forum. Consequently, the consumer forum (Ghaziabad) president Praveen Kumar Jain and member RP Singh heard and passed the order ex parte.
"The applicant requested an extension of the dates due to the pandemic and his health condition. The travel agency neither extended the dates nor returned the advance amount taken from the customer, which falls under the provisions of deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act. Accordingly, Ineedtrip is directed to pay the advance amount of Rs 1.9 lakh within 45 days of the order, with an interest of 6% from the date of the order until the final payment is made," the forum ruled.
It also instructed the travel agency to pay Rs 5000 as compensation for legal costs and mental harassment to the petitioner.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Chaos at Hasanpura side entry to Jaipur Junction amid construction, lax security
1 2 3 4 5 6 Jaipur: The Jaipur division of North Western Railways (NWR) recently opened the Hasanpura side entry for access to Jaipur Junction railway station. However, ongoing remodelling work has turned the entry and exit from this side into a major inconvenience for passengers. Access from the Hasanpura side is via a service lane leading to a foot-overbridge that connects to various platforms. With the lane closed for construction, vehicles are being directed to take the wrong side of the road to reach the station, creating confusion and safety concerns. When TOI visited the spot Friday, several passengers expressed frustration over the lack of clear signage and safe access. While X-ray baggage scanners at the entry were functional, there was no deployment of Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, raising further security concerns. "For trains arriving or departing from platforms 4 and 5, the Hasanpura side is the most convenient entry point. I went there this morning, but the service lane was closed due to construction. I was asked to drive on the wrong side to reach the station. I had to drop my daughter for the double-decker train—it was chaotic. NWR should at least put-up proper signboards if work is underway," said Jitesh Jhalani, a private employee. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Passengers trying to exit from the Hasanpura side also faced confusion. "I live in Sodala, and this side is the easiest for me. But because of the construction and lack of clear directions, there wasn't a single autorickshaw or mode of transport available here. If the railways have opened this entry, they should ensure it's fully functional," said Ramesh Singh, a passenger who arrived from Jodhpur Friday. Expressing frustration, passengers said the railways should properly inform the public if an entry point is blocked. "When we come to board a train, we usually keep a buffer of 15 to 20 minutes. But with issues like this, it creates panic," said Ramesh Saini, who was dropped near the closed service lane by an autorickshaw and had to walk nearly a kilometre to reach the foot-overbridge from the Hasanpura side. When contacted, Captain Shashi Kiran, chief public relations officer of North Western Railways, said, "If passengers are facing this issue, we will inspect the spot and take necessary steps to clear the bottlenecks and ensure the entry is properly accessible."
The Print
4 hours ago
- The Print
Northern Railways begins commercial operations of Vande Bharat train between Katra and Srinagar
Passengers who boarded the trains from Katra to Baramulla, or vice versa, expressed immense enthusiasm, with many stating they had eagerly awaited the opportunity to travel to Kashmir by train. The Vande Bharat express train, which was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Katra on June 6, connects Kashmir with the rest of the country through rail. Jammu, Jun 7 (PTI) The Northern Railways on Saturday commenced commercial operations of Vande Bharat trains between Katra and Srinagar, officials said. The first day of commercial operations went smoothly, as the trains reached their destinations by the evening, officials said. They added that public excitement was high, with most of the seats booked within hours of the train's inauguration. According to Northern Railway, two Vande Bharat train sets made four trips during the day between Katra and Srinagar. They said the train has two travel classes — Chair Car (CC) and Executive Class (EC) — with tickets priced at Rs 715 and Rs 1,320, respectively. PTI AB NB NB This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Consumer forum orders tour advance refund for man who had Covid-19
Ghaziabad: The consumer forum has ruled in favour of a man seeking a refund of a tour advance after contracting Covid in 2021. The forum observed that since the cancellation was due to circumstances beyond the consumer's control, the tour operator must return the advance amount and a Rs 5,000 fine within 45 days of the order. Petitioner Ishan Pratap Singh had booked a trip for his family from Mumbai to the Maldives between March 13 and 17, 2021, through Ineedtrip, a travel agency based out of Ghaziabad. Singh told the forum that he took a loan of Rs 1.4 lakh to pay a Rs 1.9 lakh advance to the company for the trip. "I had to take a RT-PCR test (a medical test to determine Covid infection) as per prevailing travel norms, and was detected positive for the infection on March 12, a day before the trip," the petitioner said, adding that he requested the travel agency to reschedule the trip for May 22 that year. However, the agency refused, stating that the free RT-PCR package was only valid until April 2021. "Eventually, I decided to opt for April 1 as the travel date, but given the pandemic and my health condition, I had to reschedule it to Nov 2021. The agent said that if the trip was not availed by Sept 2021, the hotel with which the agency had tied up would forfeit the booking amount," Singh told the forum. He added that the agency did not return the advance money, and he is still paying EMIs for the loan he took. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Что говорит о вашем характере поза, в которой вы спите! Удивительные Новости Undo Despite being served with notice, the respondents neither filed a reply nor appeared before the forum. Consequently, the consumer forum (Ghaziabad) president Praveen Kumar Jain and member RP Singh heard and passed the order ex parte. "The applicant requested an extension of the dates due to the pandemic and his health condition. The travel agency neither extended the dates nor returned the advance amount taken from the customer, which falls under the provisions of deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act. Accordingly, Ineedtrip is directed to pay the advance amount of Rs 1.9 lakh within 45 days of the order, with an interest of 6% from the date of the order until the final payment is made," the forum ruled. It also instructed the travel agency to pay Rs 5000 as compensation for legal costs and mental harassment to the petitioner.
