No AC, crashed elsewhere at midnight: Traveler wins compensation against travel company in consumer court | Today’s news

The Visakhapatnam Consumer Commission ordered the travel agency to pay up ₹31,500 for a passenger. Paid for an AC bus but traveled in a non AC bus. The company also dropped him off outside his destination late at night, The Indian Express reported.

A passenger has booked a journey from Hyderabad to Rajahmundry ₹1,200. He paid the travel agency through the UPI app. According to his complaint, the company had promised an AC bus while accepting the booking. However, he was forced to travel in a bus without air conditioning, the publication added.

He also said that the company did not give him a physical ticket. His complaint concerned both the promised bus service and the place where he was dropped off.

The passenger said he was left near Kovvur around 12.30 pm. It was about 9-10 km before Rajahmundry, his intended destination. He claimed that the company did not make any proper arrangements for his onward journey.

He also said it showed no concern for his safety at that hour. According to him, the experience caused considerable inconvenience and hardship.

According to Express, the passenger initially demanded a refund ₹500 as “reasonable compensation”. He said the company rejected his request and behaved rudely. He further claimed that his behavior was intimidating.

He then approached the National Consumer Helpline to resolve the matter. However, his complaint was closed without a solution for procedural reasons. The dispute later came before the Visakhapatnam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

The committee included president Gudla Tanuja and members Varri Krishna Murthy and Rahimunnisa Begum. It noted that the travel agency had received notice but had not turned up. The order of September 15 was thus adopted without the participation of the company.

The commission examined the documents on the passenger’s payment to the travel agency. It found out ₹1200 was deducted from his account. This established that he had paid the company for the trip.

The company is responsible

The commission held the company liable for not providing the promised AC bus. It said the company could not avoid liability after accepting payment for the service.

“The opposite party cannot abdicate its responsibility for making the complainant travel in a non-AC bus instead of an AC bus for which the opposite party received fare/consideration,” The Indian Express quoted the September 15 ex parte order as saying.

Dropping the passenger at Kovvur instead of Rajahmundry was another failure in the service. The commission noted that the fare covered the journey to Rajahmundry.

The company was asked to refund the money ₹500 for the difference in bus charges. It was also ordered to pay compensation and ₹1,000 for legal expenses.

Including compensation ₹30,000, the total amount awarded to the passenger was ₹31,500. The decision made the company liable for both failures during the booked journey.