Kesari Tours will now have to compensate the couple's litigation cost, pay back the additional amount which the couple paid during their honeymoon, along with nine per cent interest rate starting October 2015
More than a year after a Powai couple filed a complaint against Kesari Tours - a local travel agency - the central Mumbai district consumer dispute redressal forum has fined the company for causing inconvenience and mental agony to the couple. Kesari Tours will now have to compensate the couple's litigation cost, pay back the additional amount which the couple paid during their honeymoon, along with nine per cent interest rate starting October 2015.
Prajish Nair, a resident of Hiranandani Gardens in Powai had scheduled a honeymoon trip to New Zealand. Although Nair booked his air tickets and made hotel reservations online, he approached Kesari tours to get necessary travel visa to New Zealand. After he handed over the required documents, his travel itinerary and air tickets to the travel firm, he was charged Rs 12,542 for the firm's services.
However, on May 11, 2015, the couple was detained at the Singapore airport for travelling without a transit visa to Australia. "The travel firm's employee had informed Nair that the complainant required New Zealand visa and thus they were not provided with the intermediate transit documents needed to fly to New Zealand. Nair ended up paying Rs 1,93,000 towards the new tickets to New Zealand," reads the complaint copy.
The forum, after going through the complainant's plea, asked the travel firm to file its reply. The firm in its reply claimed that the complainant had failed to hand over the necessary documents needed to apply for the visa. The firm stated that a false complaint was made, pleading the forum to turn down the complaint.
After going through the evidence, the forum held, "For visa purpose, air tickets and tour itinerary is required. Unless these documents are submitted, visa will not be issued. The travel firm is an old tour company and it is expected to know the visa procedure. The complainant incurred additional expenses due to negligence of the firm and thus it is liable to compensate the complainant."
The firm was directed to pay Rs 25,000 towards the complainant's mental agony and Rs 10,000 towards the complainant's litigation cost incurred.
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