Ahmedabad: When medical advice not to travel led an Ahmedabad resident to cancel an overseas tour, he expected a refund. Instead he found himself locked in a battle over hefty cancellation charges, , prompting him to approach the consumer commission. Finding no evidence that the travel company had incurred the claimed expenses, the commission ordered a refund of Rs 78,000 with 7% annual interest.In an order passed on June 22, the Ahmedabad Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission also directed Flamingo Travel World Pvt Ltd to pay Rs 2,000 as compensation for mental agony and Rs 2,000 towards litigation costs. The company has been asked to comply with the order within 45 days.The complaint was jointly filed by Vasudev Dandnayak and the Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS).According to the complaint, Dandnayak had booked an overseas tour with Flamingo Travel and paid Rs 25,000 as an advance. Before the scheduled departure, he suffered a leg injury and his doctor advised him against travelling. He informed the company by email, cancelled the trip and sought a refund.Instead, the company allegedly demanded Rs 53,000 as cancellation charges, including Rs 7,000 towards cancellation of air tickets and Rs 46,500 for cancelling the tour package.During the hearing, the commission found that the travel company had failed to produce documentary evidence to show that flight tickets, cruise reservations or hotel bookings had actually been made in the complainant’s name. It also failed to establish that it had paid cancellation charges to airlines, hotels or any other service providers.The commission held that, in the absence of such evidence, the company could not justify deducting cancellation charges. It ruled that the action amounted to deficiency in service. The commission also accepted the complainant’s medical certificate as proof that he was medically unfit to undertake the journey.
