May 30, 2009 11:47 AM
33331 Views
(Updated Jul 29, 2009 08:20 PM)
The whole point of taking a tour package to avoid the hassle of doing everything on your own ( finding hotels, attractions, etc) and getting somebody else to do that for you for which you pay a premium. IRCTC tour packages promises just the opposite. We took the Golden triangle tour for 4 people which cost us 70, 000 rs for 2AC chair from Mumbai to Dehli and stay in hotels (supposedly 3 star but there is no way any of these hotels could have been 3-star, hotels with leaking commodes, rusted doors and smelly corridors) and travel to the places of interest.
The tour was contracted out to Maitri tours in Dehli and the tour operator who handed over all reins to his driver. We were in Delhi on Monday when most places was closed for public. So we had fleeting glimpses of all the monuments from the confines of our car.
We were in Agra to visit the Taj Mahal on a Friday when it was infact closed to public. So we had to wait until Saturday morning the day we were supposed to board our train back. The driver was constantly harassing us for money either for RTO charges or toll charges or for recharging his cell phone. It was really traumatic for my parents to deal with the driver. The saddest part was that on the way back we had to board our train at Mathura where the train did not even stop. We had to drive back 6 hours to board the train at Delhi and we were constantly reminded by the driver that he was doing a favor by driving us back to Delhi to board the train. IRCTC is the "railways" and if they do not know the halts that their trains make, then how is the general public supposed to know.
It was badly organized and executed. The unfortunate part is IRCTC is not only unrepentant... they don't care because obviously there's 7 billion in the world. There will always be more suckers. When we came back to their office and complained, Mr. Mohanty who is a poker-faced gentleman listened to us, acknowledged that it was their fault, asked us to submit a written complaint so that he could refund us. WE have done that and six months later we haven't gotten any response. He refuses to take any calls but when we did visit him, he promised to take action in 10 working days. Its been a month now since the last meeting and nothing so far.
One of his many little helpers, Dipti Marke who was absolutely rude said since we had taken the tour we weren't entitled to anything. I told her that wasn't the experience that we were promised. She claims that she has been in the hospitality industry for 3 years and that's how things work. But on my many visits to the office, I notice the girls drinking Tea, checkiing photos on yahoo mail, and giggling unceremoniously which does not constitute gaining experience and it shows. If you want to experience hell or dangerous living filled with constant tension, by all means take a IRCTC tour package.
