A consumer forum directed the online travel portal Make My Trip to refund ₹4,48,300 and pay ₹50,000 compensation to two customers after their South Africa visas, a part of the travel package, were rejected on grounds of ‘failure to submit satisfactory proof of funds’. The forum held that the company had adequate time to inform the complainants about submitting the relevant documents.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum Hyderabad-III was dealing with a complaint filed by Varun Mor, a resident of Punjagutta, and Vishal Gupta, a resident of Malakpet.
As per the complaint, while Mr. Mor had paid ₹2,05,500, Mr. Gupta paid ₹2,42,800 for a nine-day trip – from September 21 to September 30 in 2017 – to South Africa.
But, four days before they were scheduled to leave, the respondents sent them an email stating that their visas were rejected on account of a failure to submit a proof of adequate funds in their bank accounts. They claimed that the company told them that the funds could not be refunded as they were invested for required arrangements.
For its part, the company stated that it could not be held liable for visa rejection. The rejection, it implied, was a result of the complainants not submitting satisfactory proof of funds. They also said that the complainants declined their offer of a partial refund.
After hearing both sides, the forum noted that the complainants did mention that the visa fee and service charges were not refundable. It stated that it is the responsibility of the company to check whether the documents are in order before they are submitted and that the customers should be informed if documents are deficient. The forum observed that there was enough time to inform the complainants about the documents and proof of funds to be submitted. Noting that the ‘disaster could have been averted with a more professional approach’, the forum, apart from awarding compensation and refund, directed the company to pay costs of ₹20,000.
