SOTC Travel Limited — Lack of customer service, unfair trade practice during Packaged tour for pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar Yatra

Address: Marathon Futurex, Lower Parel, Mumbai

Website: www.sotc.in

1.As per the Tour Confirmation Voucher as also Tour Voucher the booking was made for Single Room basis (SR). However, I was allotted rooms on double/triple sharing basis

2. I am 69 year old and was the senior most of the entourage amongst 60+ tour participants. Accordingly, I was put on the top of the list both at the time of departure from Nepalgunj, the originating station to Hilsa and again at the time of return from Hilsa to Nepalgunj by helicopter/flight. Due to inoperability of the helicopter/flight on the return trip after my overnight stay at Hilsa, the sequence of the participants returning from Hilsa to Simicot by road and then Simicot to Nepalganj by flight was changed by the Tour Managers, Mr. Rahul Kumar and Mr. Vijendra Pansare in an arbitrary and malafide manner and thus I was forcibly stranded first at Hilsa for 3 nights instead of 1 night and again for 2 nights at Simicot instead of 1 night. The Managers misbehaved with me when I complained and countered them on this issue.

3.There was no supply of medical oxygen by SOTC to the pilgrims needing it during the Parikarma being at high altitude of 5000 m and steep & difficult terrain particularly on the second day of the trekking in the course of Parikarma. I had great difficulty in breathing and had to buy it from the other accompanying passengers who luckily had excess oxygen cylinders with them. This was a serious breach of trust and a case of medical negligence on the part of SOTC as a part of tour itinerary, it was expected to have supply of medical oxygen with them.

4.There was no supply of packaged drinking water the stay at Hilsa, Simicot, Mansarovar, Dehra Phuk and Zutul Phuk locations with a total of 10 Nights despite the fact that SOTC in its presentation before departures as also in its tour itinerary had committed to provide at least 2 litres of packaged water throught the Yatra. Most of the Yatris, being from the plains are not used to hard water available in the mountains and therefore it was pre-requisite to have packaged water during the course of Yatra.

5.The forex division of Thomas Cook, at J.B. Nagar branch, Mumbai refused to release Yuan mandatorily required for undertaking and performing the Yatra in the Tibet region. While on one hand SOTC advised the Yatris to carry Yuan and on the other hand your holding Company Thomas Cook refused to release it to the pilgrims. There is more to it than what meets the eye. It was being done purposely so that the forex syndicate at Purang, Nepal with nexus to personnel at your end could sell the Yuan at higher rates to the gullible pilgrims. Else how is that possible other RBI authorised forex dealers could sell Yuan to the Kailash Yatra pilgrims in India, RBI norms being the same for both of you.