Unfair ways of Southern Travels


Southern Travels is a reputed company in business for over 30 years. But it seems to be losing touch with the service it provided to earn the reputation.

We were 25 passengers in Char Dham bus tour conducted by Southern Travels from Delhi that started on Sept. 17th late evening for 10 nights. In the first stop at Haridwar they gave passengers a decent place to freshen up and provided breakfast at a different place where sewage was backing up making it a very unhygienic place.

We started our journey to Rishikesh and spent three hours there before embarking on a long journey to Barkot. Weather and landslide stopped us within 30 kilometers and more landslides information poured in. We returned to Haridwar where dinner was served at the same unhygienic place. Shelter was provided at a decent place. However, some of the pilgrims who got rooms in the first floor had to sleep with rats.

On 18th night, rain started pouring in and never quit for 15 straight hours. We, the passengers realized that it was a life threatening proposition to proceed with the trip and unanimously conveyed the message to take us back to Delhi. Management and the guide at its decree decided to keep us in Haridwar to try for one more day. Some of us refused to eat food provided by them and ate at local restaurants at our own expense. Management steadfastly refused to talk to us and demanded a representation by all of us to return to Delhi which we properly complied with and asked for a full refund or a voucher to pursue the same tour in the future with some time limit. Management refused all our requests and offered to take us to Nainital etc. for few days. It made absolutely no sense as we were not on a holiday but on a pilgrimage.

We had no choice but to give them a mandate that we will not board the bus and won’t eat their food. At that time the management started to soften a bit and opened room for negotiation but in a very demeaning way insulting us in many ways.

Uttarakhand government closed all the roads on 20th and prohibited all tour buses from entering the ghat road. At this point, Southern Travels had no choice but to take us back to Delhi. They wasted one and half days either not discussing with us or involving in no good faith impossible discussions continuing to treat passengers as unworthy.

Finally, the management came down with our unified hardening stance for our rights. Their total refusal to give refund or issue a voucher had become 50% refund message delivered through the tour guide. We never got straight answers and most of the time with hedge clauses. We said no and we were doing our own things and also choosing, at least some of us, not to eat their food. Finally they caved in for 75% refund upon arrival in Delhi. It all could have taken place 36 hours earlier if they were reasonable and put safety above profit. In the meantime, one passenger got sick and started throwing up. Luckily, it didn’t get any worse.
It is sad that Southern Travels was ready to risk its reputation and risk passenger safety for profit. The reasons why they yielded were the total unanimity among passengers, Uttarakhand government shutting the roads for the safety of pilgrims, and the decision of the passengers to go to the media, if necessary, to highlight their plight. After all, the passengers had to bear to and fro charges to Delhi and again in future to get to Delhi to take this trip. In addition, hotel rooms and cancellations piled up. Passengers lost a lot and Southern Travels probably made some money in the deal. This is utterly unfair and Southern Travels owes passengers full refund. It is unheard of floods in about 35 years and all parties should bear the loss. Travel agency, to preserve its own reputation, should not seek to make profit from once in a generation adverse event.
It is time that travel companies are put on notice that they can’t do whatever they want and travelers assert their rights. Does it mean forming consumer forums, posting on blogs or reporting to consumer protection agencies like this?