Stranded pilgrims can demand refund from tourism agency

PUTRAJAYA: The hundreds of umrah pilgrims who have been left stranded after their flight failed to obtain a landing permit to the Holy Land can demand a refund from the tourism agency or lodge a report with the Consumer Claims Tribunal.
"Regardless of the problems faced by the travel agency, it is still their responsibility to fulfill the needs of the pilgrims who have bought their packages. This includes the pilgrims' rights to demand a refund if they do not agree with the new date arranged by the chartered flight concerned.
"The pilgrims can also lodge reports with the Tourism and Culture Ministry to take action against the flight agency," said Tourism and Culture Deputy Minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (pix) in a press conference held at the ministry here today.
She added that the ministry is still investigating the case and action can be taken against the company.
"Currently, there is only one official report.
"Therefore, I urge the pilgrims to come forward and allow the ministry to conduct an investigation and take action against the agency, even after the pilgrims have successfully departed," she said, adding that action can be taken under the Tourism Industry Act for offences such as:
>> Not booking accommodation or transportation in the umrah package
>> Not drafting an agreement with the pilgrims to state the terms and conditions
>> Not employing a representative to manage the pilgrimage
She was responding to some 250 pilgrims who were left stranded in a hotel in Nilai when their flight to Jeddah on Dec 5 was cancelled.
They had been told multiple times that their flight would be rescheduled to Dec 6, then to Dec 8, then to Dec 10, then to Dec 12, and the latest was a flight at 6.30pm on Wednesday.