SOTC Complaints & Reviews

26.10.18-quote received by sotc hq against my specific enquiry for andaman holidays and negotiated and finalised same day and paid same day. Hotel promised was m/s shompen/ tsg grand/ sr castle by sotc.

30.10.18 - confirmation mail received after follow up w. R. T above hotel by sotc for accommodation available at hotel sr castle. Which i said ok.

24.11.18-not hearing anything for 24 days, i called / mailed sotc to be surprised people ducking, giving evasive replies and finally conveyed that due to mistake of ms. Sudha who now has left sotc, you can’t offer the hotel sr castle, instead offered degraded hotel m/s mainak

But finally allocated hotel classic regency at port blair

26.10.18-quote received by sotc hq against my specific enquiry and negotiated and finalised same day and paid same day. Hotel promised and confirmation received by sotc for m/s shompen/ tsg grand/ sr castle hotel.
24.11.18-not hearing anything for 24 days, i called / mailed sotc to be surprised people ducking, giving evasive replies and finally conveyed that, they can’t offer the hotel sr castle, instead offered degraded hotel m/s mainak.
Further allocated cheaper hotel. M/s classic regency.
There was no response and people were evasive.
So, i paid and negotiated for better hotel instead got cheaper hotel

I had booked for rann utsav and made the full payment on 12th november 2018 for check in on 4th january and check out 6th january 2019. I was informed by the sotc representative that the amount for the same will be 32500. After making the full payment the representative tells me that she has made a mistake in the amount and had told the cost for the month of november and february. So i have to pay 39000 for the same package. Now i hv reviewed many packages of other companies like yatra and make my trip. I also told her they are giving me a better deal. But she convinced me saying that their package is better. I agreed and now they are asking me to pay more. Why should i pay more for the representative mistake. They are asking me to take refund now which is going to take long or pay more. I am not getting any booking for the same dates. I have also booked 1st class train tickets which i will hv to cancel for the mistake of the representative. My kids were very excited about this trip. The bad behaviour and horrible service of sotc has completely ruined our holidays which we were so looking forward to. Very unprofessional behaviour i am not going to keep quiet. Will take this matter up on social media and also take help of media for this cheating with consumers will not do. I am never ever going to recommend sotc to anyone ever and also post this on my facebook and instagram page. Unprofessionalism at its best.

Hi,

I would like to share my concern and grave pain as sotc has taken 100% advance 1.7 lac on 7th october against my confirm booking of premium tents - rann o[censored]tsav scheduled on 23rd december 2018 check in and check out on 24th december 2018.

Despite of taking 100% amount they declined our family holidays bookings and left us in lurch as our all flight tickets were booked so we have to compromise on lower category which we never wanted to go far but as there were no choice left with us so we have to accept that.

It has been more than 2 weeks we have given our confirmation to sotc and chasing with for confirmation cum voucher of our stay along with refund of surplus amount but not getting any positive response.

I request indian consumer complaint forum to look into it and get the matter sort out please.

The services and response of sotc is very rude, unprofessional and pathetic.

Regards,

Sanjeev rana
Mobile [protected]
Email-sanjeev. [protected]@, megacabs.com and [protected]@gmail.com

I am a regular customer since 2006. Visited twice thailand, singamore, malaysia, egypt, dubai, europe last year. Again thailand in january 2017.in india also, i visited andman nicobar, leh laddak.
This year also i made a plan to malaysia and singapore on 25th november, 2018. Till date we have made a payment of rs.5, 20, 000.00 for 7+1 person but this year, we are chewing very big salt of spoon. I received many call from bombay and other places. Someone tells, we have paid only 1, 50, 000.00. Someone calls, send your passport ([protected]) directly to delhi office. He said, our local representative is very lazy. I also received a mail yesterday to call mr khalid iqbal ([protected]) for check list. When i am calling, he is not picking up. Very poor response by all means. I will request you, dont call us for any normal reason. We have paid your local representative and will comply all norms as he ask. I am ready to handover balance money, passport or any other formalities anytime, we are simply going on tourism not for job. Make our tour as simple as it may possible. But ask to contact any other person. Your local representive mr. Sumit is more than sufficient for us. Take every feedback from him. Hope you will not torture us in future.
Dr syed habib, gorakhpur (U. P.). [protected]

We (4 people) had completed 15 days europe darshan package tour (2.74l\person) through sotc on 22nd august 2018. We would like to highlight that in spite of paying the advance amount 90 days prior to the departure date, we had to undergo a lot of pain in attending the visa formalities, which was arranged at the last moment (Ie) one in bangalore and another in ernakulam. Apart from this, tickets were delivered just 1 day in advance and tour package gifts were also denied.
Though we have visited the local office at coimbatore and reported to the head office, no action has been taken till date. They don't have courtesy to make a call on this regard. Henceforth we do not recommend anybody to travel through sotc.

SOTC i s cheating the customers and even customer service at the highest level do not comply with promises. Money back promised is just gimmick and not pay even after months of complaints. The credit card swiping is done on different entity thus depriving customer of promised money back.
CCK Nambiar
[protected]

I have booked for dubai group tour. Our one night stay was in palm atlantis. For that our tour manager has charged double amount from us telling dolphine bay is included. But when we reach there they told us your booking is not there.
If any responsible and sensible person is there in sotc to listen then please do any action. Everytime i call any person they say talk to this talk to them. Is this the way to treat your customers.?

We have booked japan group tour for departure on 10.09.2018 for 6 nights. Now due to adverse circumstances, the trip is departing on 11.09.2018 but sotc has cut down the trip to 5 nights. This kind of service is not acceptable at all. We already had a short trip of 6 nights and that you have reduced it to 5 nights now with the same cost. The trip is as it is very expensive and we are not satisfied with this shortening of our trip.
We are not satisfied with your service and don't feel that we are getting true value for our money.

I booked mauritius travel package with sotc. After making payment they never got in touch. They rarely pick up the phone, and no senior person is ever available to answer any grievance. 2 days before my departure i have still not got the tickets or hotel vouchers. Any enquiry for additional information, booking of additional optional activities, etc goes unanswered.

Sir, i had booked splendid europe - eur232 - 04th october 2018 and suddenly i came to know from email that it is cancelled. No body from booking office had intimated me for this latest status of my tour. Sotc sales office had also offered me splendid europe eur232- 18th october 2018 or any other product as per availability without mentioning the cost to the customers, itinerary and tour program i. E. Places likely to cover in the offered tour. I had also contacted helpline to give the reasons for cancellation and other information, they had also failed to give me the information. I feel that sotc should concentrate to trained their sales office personnel and call center staff to take care the needs of the customers. My carries is still pending and hope to get feedback at the earliest.

Brig harwant singh and his wife had booked a group tour to japan through the chandigarh branch office of the s. Ot. C.
Tour name *"splendors of japan"* (06n/07d).

S. O. T. C. Tour code: far[protected]

Duration of the tour 14 august to 20 august 2018.

For getting the visa for japan, in july '18, a representative of the s. O. T. C office chandigarh came to collect passports and other documents like the bank statement, copies of the income tax returns. While collecting the passports he asked brig harwant singh to write down his e-mail id so that in case passports are misplaced and are found by some one, the owner could be informed
Accordingly brig harwant singh wrote his and his wife's e mail ids on page 2 of his passport.

When brig and mrs harwant singh went for check in at the new delhi air port in the evening of 13 august brig harwant singh was informed that since some thing was written on the passport, he could not board his flight to japan (Flight number ai 314. Thus the whole tour was aborted due to the mistake of the representative of the sotc.

Name of the representative of the chandigarh office of the s. O. T. C. Who collected the passports is deepak, phone number [protected].

Address of the s. O. T. C. Office at chandigarh is sco 147-148 sector 8.

Name of the in charge of their chandigarh office is sushil sharma, phone number [protected].

I have booked a tour for 3 persons through sotc lucknow. Until they have got payment from me staff was very humble and cooperative. My tour is from 17-25 aug 2018. There is some issues which i wanted to be solved but now nobody is responding even they are not giving any reply of my emails. Earlier they were saying that my staff will be there to help you but as if they are not helping here how can i expect help in uk tour. They have given me itinerary and sightseeing tickets in such a way that i have to go everywhere to collect on my own, even at some places they have not arranged transfers. Now these people even customer care and head office bombay people are not responding satisfactorily, just everybody want to escape.
I will never advise to take tours from sotc.

I have booked Mumbai to Port Blair and back 5Days 6 nights package on 4.4.18 from 17.4.2018 and conformed the same on7.4.2018 for hotel bookings. Unfortunately I received message on 8.4.2018 my mother is expired at mt village i Telangan. Immediately I infored to customer care on 8.4.2018 not book hotels and requested for cancellation. I sent my mothers death certificate also. The Manager SOTC informed me they are trying for full refund because of genuine reason. After 3 months on 18.7.2018 they have deposited Rs.31, 361/- out of Rs. 42000/-. It is nearly 25% of paid amount deducted. They do not responded for hotel booking paid amount bills evidence. Being an international travel company how cheating is being done. I requet to refund me full amount By reducing 5% of paid amount towards processing fee. Kindly help me in this regard. from
A. Sreeramulu
Deputy Director General-retd.,
DGFASLI, MOLE, GOI,
Sion Mumbai-400022
Mobile: [protected]

Sir,
I have booked highlights o[censored]sa tour departing from 28/7/2018, i have paid all required tour cost as demanded by tour advisor the another tour advisor recovers additional tour cost from me more than estimated cost, about since 21 days i daily phone to sotc toll free number but neither tour advisor nor his senior taking phones, i have to board the flight on 26/7/18 but till 25/7/18 i don’t received any confirmation tour documents from sotc in spite of i have valid passport, usa’s visa, confirm air tickets, i am fade up with sotc, s system. And non cooperative staff. Who mentally harassed me.
Please help.
One fade up tourist

Booked Kenya Tour for three persons from SOTC Salt Lake, Kolkata. by paying 90000 for three family members. Asked for cancellation more than 45 days before the journey due to medical reasons . But they are reluctant to refund the advance amount. Asked for Doctors Advice, . The relative Prescription was provided .Now they want diagnostic report and yet I am uncertain whether or not they will refund or whats the end of this harassment . Similar to other complainants they are threatening that apart from this we would have to pay more charges Not expected such an unprofessional approach from SOTC. Its no denying once they get the payment their attitude changes . Will the appropriate authority look into it ?

G S Ali

I travelled on sotc tour european experience with cruise on 26th may 2018.
On arrival at the airport in barcelona, there was no body to receive us. I had to call the indian office of sotc at least six times, they provided a contact number, which nobody responded to.
I was traumatised for one and a half hours, running from pillar to post to locate a sotc representative.
I ran a bill of rs 2600 on my cellphone, calling india.

During the tour in florence italy, the room provided in hotel san marco was a single bed, very small room with hardly any amenities, inspite of sotc having charged me extra as i was a single passenger.

Sotc has a record of cheating and ill treating their group travellers, no amount of complaints has any effect on their unethical and un professional behaviour.
Its high time the consumer complaints forum took up these issues wuth sotc and levy exemplary penalities on the tour operator.

We have booked europe tour of sotc through space travels lucknow. Mr. Sagar joshi who is currently our group's tour manager for europe (12th to 22nd june 2018) is managing the tour very unprofessionally. It's already 10:10 am & the bus has not yet come to take us to disneyland. Mr. Sagar is giving excuses of rules & regulations while he is totally incapable & inefficient who does not know how to conduct tours smoothly. Yesterday also, our tour should have staryed by 1 pm but he came at 4 pm. Sotc must take strict action against him and also tell us how they can compensate for such mismanagement.

Goodevening

I am paresh salvi from badlapur maharashtra, i book thailand package for 8 member for 15 may 2018 from mumbai to bangkok, at the time of booking package the sale executive give us cost 34k per person but at the time of final payment they increase amount from 34k to 36800/- per person, we already mail to sotc related to this but no response is there, because of there sales and service team we give to extra amount for package and for visa.

We are ready to pay all balance amount before 20 days but they only giving wrong commitment regarding out flight tickets and hotel booking, they give us flight ticket and hotel booking on 14/5/2018 on night at 8.45pm, were are departure is on 15 may 12.15pm.

Worst service we face from sotc in india as well as in thailand, poor quality of food, hotel and no one guide us from mumbai to bangkok because of this we lost our luggage on airport.

Never want to book package again through sotc mumbai team.

Regards
Paresh salvi
[protected]

Sotc, 4 dham, char dham, travel package.
This was the worst travel of our life. We have been travelling for more than fifty years but this was the worst travel. We booked the premium package but sotc cheated us on all three fronts’ viz. Travel, food and accommodation.
1. The trip involves entire travel by road. The travel was very clearly booked for a/c vehicles and we were charged accordingly. But the driver switched on the air conditioning only during delhi –haridwar and rishikesh - delhi sector i. E. For only two days out of 11 days on road. Remaining all 9 days we had to breathe dust, diesel fumes and heat, with temperature sometimes touching 40 c. Whilst we were charged for a/c vehicle the drivers were paid at non a/c rates. Drivers offered to start a/c if they were paid a/c rates. This was brought to notice of ms. Neha (Operations dept. Of sotc) thru calls \ messages but she did not sort it out and we have to suffer for 9 of the 11 days. This is downright cheating.
2. We had never imagined that sotc will provide lunch\thali at roadside dhabas costing rs.80 per head. On the way to yamnotri there were a number of decent hotels which were ignored and food was provided at a small dhaba. Next day on visit to yamnotri there was no lunch at all. We saw kesri tour people being given packed lunch. When same thing happened on third day and we made a noise then the tour coordinator gave rs 1000 each person and asked us to make our own lunch arrangements for remaining 6 days, i. E. Rs 170 per lunch. What a great gesture on the part of sotc. The breakfast/dinner at all locations were also substandard. The reason was not “lack of availability” but of sotc trying to save money. At nirvana while we were given very basic dal/ sabzi dinner and two item breakfast, the next door nirvana was providing full spread breakfast. I saw the other family from our group being denied simple bread butter and milk for the child. One hotel owner mentioned that he was being paid rs.75 per head for the breakfast. He packed 2 parotha/ alu sabzi for breakfast and refused to even add a banana. Never expected sotc stooping to this level to save money.
3. Except at hardwar, all accommodations were substandard to say the least. Cockroaches, spiders kept us the company. Sotc initially mentions good hotels but changes these to substandard hotels after receiving full payments, on the grounds of non-availability of those hotels.
4. Less i say about the tour manager better it is. He was sent by a local travel agency and was totally ineffective. He was the best example of “hands off management”. We even had to manage the drivers.
In short, the worst experience of our life. It was like a punishment which we paid for.
Thanks sotc.
You have lost a long time customer for good.