Ghatkopar couple wins against Thomas Cook

A suburban Additional District Consumer Forum has ordered a leading travel company and tour organizing company to pay compensation to a customer for omitting to provide a Skyrail ride over a rainforest, one of the top attractions of the trip.

Thomas Cook has been asked to pay Ghatkopar resident Jaldhi Trivedi Rs 5,000.

Trivedi and his spouse had booked a trip to Australia in 2014, at a cost of around Rs 2 lakh per person. One of the main things there were looking forward to on the trip was an aerial view of the Kuranda rainforest through the Skyrail rainforest cableway. On Thomas Cook's itinerary, this was jotted down for the fifth day of the trip. But, the company did not provide this, and Trivedi, in his complaint, said this was because the firm did not book tickets for the cableway in advance.

Trivedi had demanded Rs 1 lakh, per person, from the company and an additional Rs 50,000 as compensation for the mental agony caused.

However, the Consumer Forum found the demand to be unrealistic and directed Thomas Cook to only pay a compensation of Rs 5,000.

In its response to the complaint, Thomas Cook said that their terms and conditions mention that there could be changes in the itinerary due to unavoidable circumstances.

Member SV Kalal of the Forum said in the judgment that "Though the complainant had made payment for the holiday 20 to 22 days prior to trip date, the opposite party has not made the planning for the top attraction in the right manner. This matter amounts to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice in the opinion of the Forum."