We had enrolled for Dubai Tour which commenced on 3rd Jan, 2022. As per the travel guidelines for international flights, we had taken an RT PCR test on 1st Jan, 2022 which turned out to be negative. On arriving at Mumbai airport, we took a RT PCR test on 2nd Jan, 2022 at around 7 pm which turned out to be negative as well. We boarded our flight to Sharjah and we took a RT PCR test on 3rd Jan, 2022 at the Sharjah airport at 5am. We received our test reports on 4th Jan, 2022. My mother’s report was positive and my report was negative. A senior couple traveling with us also faced a similar issue. Mr Manik Kendre’s report was negative but his wife’s report was positive.
Our tour leader, Mr Bipin Sawant suggested that we take a RT PCR test from the local testing lab in Dubai. Since we shared the same room, the Hotel told us to take a RT PCR test again. We cooperated and immediately agreed to get our RT PCR tests done. We took a RT PCR test again on 4th Jan, 2022 at 3.30 pm and each paid 164 AED for our RT PCR tests. Mr Manik Kendre and his wife were also told to take a RT PCR test again. We were quarantined in our rooms for the rest of 4th Jan, 2022.
I had given my email ID and mobile number to Freiburg Medical Laboratory, UAE for the receipt of payment and the test reports.
We didn’t receive a receipt for the payment we had done to Freiburg Medical Laboratory, UAE either on WhatsApp or email ID. Our tour manager forwarded us our reports on 5th Jan, 2022 in the morning via WhatsApp and we were both tested negative. Mr Manik Kendre and his wife were both tested negative as well. We carried on to the rest of our trip since we were all tested negative.
Our tour leader, Mr Bipin Sawant hadn’t informed Fortune Atrium Hotel and its management that we had all been tested negative on 4th Jan 2022.
The house keeping staff didn’t come to our room and didn’t clean any of the trash collected for 4 days. We kept calling them to clean our room and sort the bed comforters but no one came to attend us.
We didn’t know that our tour leader, Mr Bipin Sawant had not informed Fortune Atrium Hotel’s management that we had all been tested negative and didn’t show them our 4th Jan, 2022 RT PCR reports. As our tour leader, Mr Bipin Sawant was extremely irresponsible of our tour management. Mr Bipin Sawant said it was not the hotel’s lookout that we got ourselves tested again and came negative.
Mr Bipin Sawant had not informed us about any extra charges for sanitization charged by the hotel on 4th Jan, 2022 till the end of our trip which was on 8th Jan, 2022.
When we were checking out of the hotel on 8th Jan, 2022, we were then informed of the extra charges for sanitization charged by the Hotel which was 300 AED per room.
They said they weren’t going to let us checkout of the Hotel till we didn’t pay those extra charges for sanitization.
When I told the Hotel management that our 4th Jan, 2022 RT PCR reports were negative which were taken within 24 hours, they said that our tour leader, Mr Bipin Sawant hadn’t informed them about it.
During our checkout on 8th Jan, 2022, Mr Bipin Sawant told us that it was Dubai Government policy to quarantine any positive tested passengers which the Dubai Government took care of. Mr Bipin Sawant showed us a file of Hotel rooms sanitized where some of the other tour passengers had been quarantined / self-isolated at the Hotel for 7 days. When I inquired with Mr Bipin, if any of them had taken a RT PCR test the next day or within 24 hours, his reply was NO. These extra charges didn’t apply to us as we were all tested negative within 24 hours of our stay at the Hotel.
Mr Bipin Sawant intentionally kept us out of the loop and didn’t mention to us the Dubai Government protocol.
Mr Bipin Sawant told us that my mother’s RT PCR report was still positive with the Government and that we had to pay 300 AED as extra charges for sanitization if we wanted to checkout from the Hotel.
I enquired with Fortune Atrium Hotel management on 8th Jan, 2022 during our checkout that if our negative reports of RT PCR test done on 4th Jan, 2022 were valid and updated to their Government website. To which they replied that it gets updated automatically. Our negative reports were updated automatically to the UAE Government on 4th Jan, 2022. He lied to us that our negative report of RT PCR test does not get updated to the Government website.
We were threatened that the cops would be called on us and we would have to pay 300 AED by any means or we would be jailed. We were strangled on foreign soil. We were blackmailed into paying the extra charges that didn’t apply to us.
Mr Bipin Sawant threatened us and said “I’ll see how you get back to India.” Mr Bipin Sawant said that it was not his job to look into these matters and we should talk to our booking agents at Kesari Tours. He shrug off his responsibility and disappeared into his room after his RT PCR test came positive on 8th Jan, 2022.
We had no symptoms of COVID whatsoever whereas our tour leader was sneezing and coughing during the tour.
Mr Bipin Sawant didn’t cooperate and didn’t help us with filing out our Air Suvidha forms. He gave everyone in the tour group compressed pdfs of their passport images whereas he didn’t provide us with it. Out of spite, he intentionally stopped paying any heed to us.
Mr Bipin Sawant stopped receiving calls done by Mr Manik Kendre when he required assistance regarding filling out Air Suvidha form.
On 7th Jan, 2022, Mr Bipin Sawant didn’t mention that we had to take RT PCR test at Mumbai airport. He said that the RT PCR test done at Dubai on 7th Jan, 2022 was the last test required on the tour. During our arrival at Mumbai airport on 9th Jan, 2022, we had to take RT PCR test again at 8 am and our reports were negative which came by the evening. Mr Bipin Sawant didn’t tell the entire group about the RT PCR testing to be done at the airport and the charges levied for the testing.
We had a terrible experience with Kesar Tours and especially with Mr Bipin Sawant.
It was the tour leader, Mr Bipin Sawant’s responsibility to inform the Hotel about our negative RT PCR reports, to explain us the complete COVID-19 protocol and Government policy in Dubai before or during the start of the tour.
We were tourists in Dubai and we were not informed prior of any of these policies and guidelines during booking the tour or during the tour until our checkout from the Hotel.
We solely booked your tour on our previous experience with South East Asia tour done via you. But this experience was extremely horrible. We will never suggest Kesari tours to anyone we may know. For the amount of money we have paid for our Dubai trip, it was a pathetic experience.
We need compensation for the financial trouble, harassment, mental agony, badgering and embarrassment we have faced due to Mr Bipin Sawant’s irresponsible, uncooperative, obstructive, misinformed, unprofessional and crude behavior and mannerisms. This has left us with a gruesome and atrocious tour experience because of Mr Bipin Sawant. Kesari Tours has defrauded us.
My mother aged 60 and Mr Manik Kendre and his wife all aged above 60 as senior citizens had a tremendously horrendous and troublesome experience. This has by far been the worst tour experience we have faced.
We hope you take cognizance of this behavior of Mr Bipin Sawant and fire this person immediately from your office so as to not tarnish your reputation further and loose any more clients ahead.
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