For representation purposes (File Photo | EPS)
For representation purposes (File Photo | EPS)

Hyderabad based travel firm told to pay compensation for duping people

A consumer forum has directed a travel firm to pay a compensation of `20,000 after the company was found guilty of failing to provide holiday and gym packages at a cheaper rate to its consumer. 

HYDERABAD: A consumer forum has directed a travel firm to pay a compensation of  Rs 20,000 after the company was found guilty of failing to provide holiday and gym packages at a cheaper rate to its consumer. This is not the first time when the Hyderabad-based travel firm, Elite Group of Loyality aServices,  has been accused of duping its customers. 

Earlier, the firm has been accused of allegedly cheating around 100 Mumbai residents of around Rs 1 crore by promising them similar packages. According to several complainants, including Surepalli Ramesh, 31 from Hyderabad, the firm’s representatives would collect information from potential customers from outside malls or cinema theatres on the pretext of a lucky draw. Later, they would contact the customers stating they had won a prize and would invite them to collect their so-called gift voucher. 

In the present case, Ramesh and his wife received a call on September 28, 2018, asking them to collect their prize. When the couple reached the venue, the company reps told them that they have tie-ups with several national and international hotels and gyms, hence they would get discounted prices for its packages. The complaint claim that they were lured into buying a five-year gym membership and a holiday gift voucher for Rs 1,50,000. 

However, later when the complaint tried to avail of their gym membership and a holiday package for an international trip, the firm denied the package. Following this, the couple filed a complaint in the consumer forum to get their money back. Founding the firm guilty, the consumer forum said, “Inducing people by saying that they have won a lucky draw and asking them to come and collect gifts and subsequently luring them to take membership of the club, amounts to unfair trade practice.”

The forum directed the firm to repay Rs 1,55,000 with an interest of 6 per cent and also a compensation of Rs 20, 000 for causing mental agony to the complainant.

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