[Resolved]  Cox & Kings India — last minute rescheduling and threat of trip cancellation and not refunding visa costs for their fault

Address:

Mumbai City, Maharashtra, 400050

Reference number: 789017
We first enquired about the “european highlights summer 2017” package in may 2017. We were quite excited about this tour and we confirmed our reservation on 17th may by paying rs 3000 for me and my husband. As a family, we take our annual vacation every year and go for one of the international tours. This would have been our 3rd trip to europe and we were very excited about the offer as it was a budgeted tour covering eastern europe and we were excited to travel cox and kings as like everybody else we were expecting professional conduct and management of tour given it is one of the world’s largest tour operators. We obviously felt that we can rely on them for taking care of our vacation given their scale of operations and the fact that they have been in this industry for so long. This was also the first time we were taking help of tour operator to plan our trip else we always plan our own trips! In fact a few days later we also booked our parents on the same tour as they were also very excited about this. This would have been their first international tour and given that they are senior citizens, we thought this is a good opportunity as the travel operator cox and kings is planning our stay, visa, itinerary, food etc. And hence it will be convenient for them as well.
For the last 2 months, my in laws have been counting days for their first international tour, telling their friends and relatives about the same. Little did they know that the so called world class organisation like cox and kings did not care at all about their customers or their wishes or dreams!!!
We were asked to make payment of inr 170, 150 and we did pay the same by 29th may 2017. We were asked to make complete payment for 4 passengers by june6th and we did make 100% of our payments by 12th june 2017. We were also asked to apply for visa at least 45 days in advance so that we can keep some buffer just in case there was a delay or visa issues especially for my in-laws who were travelling abroad for first time. Both i and my husband are working. I work for hsbc and he works for axis bank and we arranged for our leave as well other documents for visa and went for our biometrics by 12th june. We were adhering to all requirements by cox and kings and doing as directed by them as we were relying on their many years of experience of managing trips and vacations.
One of the mandatory requirements for schengen visa is confirmed return flight tickets. Cox and kings gave us flight tickets of turkish airlines with pnr number for our visa along with hotel stay details etc. Which gave us confidence that we are in safe hands and our trip is as per plan. We submitted all documents and got our visa a month in advance and we were happy and excited about upcoming trip
We really didn’t know what was in store for us as we realized that there was complete silence from cox and kings once we had our visa and they had 100% of trip money. We thought that they are expert in arranging trips and will get in touch with us by july sharing with us all other details of the trip. We were surprised when we did not hear from them and we reached out to them on 4th july 2017. We were informed that confirmed flight ticket details were awaited from airlines for the group and can be shared anytime. Since we did not hear from them for next few days, we started calling the tour manager (Mahendra sahane) for an update. We also called multiple other numbers as mahendra was not in office but again same response that airline details were awaited and that they were facing some operational issues. We were asked to give them a day or two to revert. We again reached out on 12th july as we did not hear from cox and got same response that they awaited from airlines. They asked for time till 13th july to revert to us. We obviously started to panic and calling them to get a status on trip, however received no definitive response except that flight tickets were awaited. Finally after much follow up, we get a call from cox and kings stating that they were unable to get us flight tickets for 22nd july (Confirmed and committed date of departure for the package) owing to some issues that they were facing with oman airways and that they are rescheduling the departure to 27th july 2017
We were shocked and amazed with this response barely a week before scheduled date of departure. How can a company of the size of cox and kings face issues with an airline and even if they do, is oman airways the only airline which flies to europe or with which cox has a tie up? I am sorry to say that i also work in service industry and we keep customer interest above everything else. How can you not think of the impact on customers owing to this reschedule? We are working people, what if our companies do not grant us leave? What if we had some other personal emergencies at home? On top of all this, we were amazed by the sheer lack of empathy, sympathy and sensitivity by your managers (Harman dsouza) who seemed to be least bothered with our concerns! To our question that is 27th july at least confirmed, the answer was it depends on how many people from group agree to revised dates? I was shocked with this response. Basically a week before planned tour, you are rescheduling the trip and leaving us on mercy of others and not taking ownership of the mess you have created in first place? You were not even ashamed to tell your customers that if we they do not get enough confirmations for 27th, they will cancel tour and not refund us visa, insurance etc. Charges!!!
The only reason we are compelled to write this email is to ensure that the senior management in cox and kings is made aware of the plight of their poor customers who trust a global organisation hoping that their vacation is in safe hands and they will have the best experience of their life (I am genuinely hoping that the senior management does not turn a blind eye to our situation like your team on the ground
1. I would like to believe that a company of the size of cox and kings must be having an extensive tie up with multiple airlines as you have been in this field for more than 100 years!!! How can you just call up customers a week before departure date and site internal administrative issues for rescheduling confirmed travel packages where you have taken 100% money from your customers!
2. Even if i were to believe that there was last minute issue with airline, is the company not supposed to keep interest of the customers above everything else? You are in the business of managing people’s dreams (Travel and vacation is dream for majority of people and especially indians)? Why could you not arrange for some other airline? I have checked online and there are flight tickets available for 22nd july for munich as well as vienna (May be slightly expensive). However as it is you who have not been able to manage the plan and tour, is it not your moral responsibility to pay and do whatever it needs to ensure that customer service is not impacted? When we asked this question to mr. Harman, he declined and passed the problem back to us!!! How insensitive can a company be?
3. You insisted that we apply for visa well in advance and also gave us flight reservations with turkish airlines for these dates to facilitate visa process. You scared us that there can be delay in visa or we may be denied a visa etc.? We were worried as my in laws were travelling for first time and did not want anything to go wrong and hence followed your advice and did the needful as suggested by you. Why did you not confirm the flight tickets at that time when you had already started your customers to apply for visa? Isn’t it obvious that visa should be applied once trip is confirmed? You are in the business of travel and am sure were very confident of managing the plan and flight and hotels and hence move things in parallel. We were fooled and blinded by this confidence in your years of experience and did not insist on a confirmed flight ticket before actually going for visa process? So now you are ensuring we pay a price for trusting you and your years of experience in this field
4. Why does the customer need to keep following up on travel confirmation? Is it not basic duty of the company to keep us posted on progress or any issues been faced? You were prompt in following up for payment but not when we were asking for status on tour? Why did you wait till 1 week before departure before breaking the news to us? You have basically not left us with any choice now but to depend on your mercy as we cannot really do much in less than a week. Don’t you think it was just as right to be honest and inform us in advance so that we could have managed something? We are working couple, how can you expect us to be available as per your rescheduled plan? When we asked this question to your manager, he was obviously not in a mood to listen or help us
5. Also if you are rescheduling the trip to 27th, don’t you think it is your moral responsibility to run the tour even if it means running it for 1 person as the goo[censored]p has happened by the company? How can you still not be sure and again leave customers hanging in year saying that it depends on number of confirmations we have from group for revised dates? This is lowest level of customer service we expect from an organisation in hospitality industry who is not taking any ownership of the problem and has conveniently passed the problem to the customer with no sense of guilt or regret. That is probably because you have done this so many times to so many customers that now the company is immune to issues and pain of the customers!
6. The best thing is that if you are not able to get confirmations for 27th, you will cancel the trip! This is easiest thing to do and not refund the expenses which we have already incurred so far (Visa, insurance, local travel of my in law’s from bangalore to mumbai) as this is mentioned in some fine print of the t&c document. Any values driven organisation will think twice before saying this, forget doing this to customers. If you fail to deliver us trip as per plan, don’t you think it is your duty to bear these expenses? You cannot bear or compensate the emotional loss that we are facing, however by deducting our money for your fault is the worst form of customer treatment! This was the first trip of my in-laws, they are still very excited and hopeful, we saved this money for so many months (We are average middle income people) to have one family vacation, all this does not matter to your big organisation??? What matters is making money and being insensitive to customers! You have earning interest out of my money for last 2 months??? What about that? Like me there must be many more in this trip who would have paid in advance?
The only reason i am writing this email is because i am hopeful that the senior leaders in the company will stand up for its values of integrity and passion for excellence. We are heartbroken at this experience at the hands of your company and would request the senior management of the company to look into this and help us with our tour. We really are keen to travel on the revised dates (We are willing to work that out) even if it means it is only my family as this is a once in a life time opportunity for my in laws! If the company is unable to do that, i am prepared to take this matter to consumer court as i am not going to let you deduct any money (Visa, insurance etc.) from the amount we have paid you. We need 100% of our money back if you cannot help us with tour