In 2018, Shekhar Hattangadi, aged 69, paid Rs. 745 for a ticket from Surat to Mumbai. However, on his way back home, he was dropped off 50 km away from the city.
Hattangadi recently secured compensation of Rs. 2 lakh from Paulo Travels. The incident unfolded when he purchased a ticket for Rs 745 from Surat to Mumbai in 2018 via the online portal Travekyaari.com. Unfortunately, upon his return home, Hattangadi found himself dropped 50 km away from Mumbai. REPEATED. Be Careful of this.
His grievance stemmed from the fact that the travel company, Paulo Travels, failed to provide the correct pick-up point in Surat. Consequently, he had to disembark from the bus midway, encountering an inconvenient situation on the outskirts of Mumbai. When Hattangadi raised his concerns, he was informed that the bus had to be diverted from the main highway to Thane and beyond due to numerous repairs on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway.
To exacerbate matters, Hattangadi alleged that Paulo Travels did not adequately communicate the change in route and failed to fulfil their promise of arranging an alternative solution, leaving him to make his own travel arrangements at odd hours and an unfamiliar location to reach his destination.
The individual asserted that Mantis Technologies Pvt. Ltd sent an apologetic email without admitting fault. Hattangadi further conveyed the emotional distress, mental strain, and trauma he endured due to travelling alone at midnight.
The local consumer commission, upon reviewing the case, acknowledged the hardship faced by Hattangadi and determined that he was entitled to compensation. The ruling emphasised that the lack of communication and failure to provide a more convenient route warranted financial reparations for the mental agony and inconvenience experienced by the complainant, particularly considering his senior citizen status.
Mantis Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Paulo Travels Pvt. Ltd., and Myron Pereira, the acting CEO of the latter, are mandated to pay a compensation of 2 Lakh. Additionally, the commission has instructed them to cover an additional Rs 2,000 for court filing and transportation expenses.