Court asks travel operator to compensate for deficient service

New Delhi, Nov 8 : Coming down heavily on a private tour and travel operator for deficiency in service, a district consumer forum has directed it to compensate a man for sending a bus to ferry a marriage party with fewer seats than he had asked for.

District Consumer Forum president K.K. Chopra, in a order passed last week, asked New Kamal Tours and Travels, Mandir Marg, to pay Rs.30,000 to Toyaz Singh, who had booked a 55-seater bus for his marriage party that was to go to Haridwar in Uttarakhand, but the travel operator sent a 35-seater bus.

“The complainant was taken by surprise when a 35-seater bus was sent at the eleventh hour, leaving him no option but to avail the service of that bus. He somehow managed the transportation of the remaining marriage party in the cars of his friends and relatives. The complainant was left with no time to arrange for some other vehicle and bore the burnt of the circumstances created by the travel company,” states the order.

The complainant had booked a 55-seater bus for his marriage on Dec 2, 2007, and paid Rs.2,500 advance, of the total sum of Rs.18,500 as decided.

But on the day of marriage, the travel company owner sent a 35-seater vehicle, which forced Singh to hire two private vehicles.

On Dec 6, Singh went to the travel company for settlement of the money and demanded that the additional money he had spent on hiring cars should either be compensated or deducted from the whole amount.

But the travel operator refused to do so.

“It was evident that the travel operator was deficient in service by suddenly changing the bus from 55-seater to 35-seater. So the travel operator is directed to pay a total of Rs.30,000 to the complainant for the mental agony and harassment caused,” the forum ruled.

--IANS