I had utilised the IRCTC online reservation services in the past several times and I had no chance to complaint, but this time it proved otherwise. I booked my I-Tickets for my trip to Nasik and I was in for some trouble. The booking was done on the 1st March, 2007. I was to travel to Nasik by the Panchavati Express leaving Mumbai CST at 18.05 on 4th March and my return journey from Nasik was by the Tapovan Express on 6th March, 2007. According to the rules of IRCTC the I-tickets can be booked leaving a margin of 2 clear working days for the tickets to be delivered at your doorstep and I was very much in the time frame.
To my utter surprise I received my onward journey ticket on the previous night of my journey i.e. on the 3rd March, 2007 at 22.00 hours and on enquiring with the Overnite Express Courier person, I was told that I would receive the return ticket on the next day.The real ordeal began on 4th March as it was a public holiday for the Holi festival and also the day of my departure to Nasik. Getting in touch with the courier company was in vain as the telephone nos. mentioned in the envelope was not answered. The telephone nos. of the IRCTC too was either engaged or simply not attended to.
Finally an official attending the IRCTC politely advised me to book E-tickets instead of I-tickets the next time in order to avoid such predicament and gave me a couple of contact nos. which was of no avail. Finally I proceeded to Nasik without the return ticket but with a printout of the I-ticket and the bank statement that contained the payment details which I had received on my email. Before boarding the train I wanted to clarify at the ticket enquiry counter at Thane station or at Dadar from where I was supposed to board the train, whether I would be allowed to travel with the printout wherein the PNR No., the transaction No., Seat No. and the fare is also mentioned. But the counters were closed due to the public holiday.
As expected the return ticket was delivered at my residence on the evening of March 5th and was faxed to me by my people at home. The next day I carried the printouts and the faxed return tickets on me during my return journey. On enquiring at the counter at Nasik I was directed to the Chief Ticketing Officer who informed me that I would be allowed to travel on the same seat after paying a nominal charge to the TC in the train. My entire cajoling to the TC in the train to allow me to travel in the same seat proved futile. But what I liked about the TC was that he was a Bori Muslim who spoke very politely. The TC could have allowed me to travel without charging as I had all the papers and the faxed ticket with me which could be tallied with the list of passengers he had and by verifying my photo identity but that was not to be the case. I was charged the full fare and a receipt was handed over to me mentioning the seat Nos., etc.
I was asked to cancel my tickets after the journey and accept the balance amount after the deduction of cancellation charges. When I went for the cancellation to the counter I was asked to make an application to the Chief Ticketing Officer at Thane station along with the receipt of the payment made to me on the train and supposed to go the IRCTC office at CST for the cancellation of the ticket. I did not want to subject myself into further mental and physical torture and I gave up. I have sent a couple of emails along with all the details to the IRCTC for which they have not yet responded.
This is purely the negligence of the IRCTC and they should be taken to task. 1. For causing mental agony to the passengers. 2. Financial loss. 3. Assigning the delivery of tickets to a careless courier company. I am expecting some action to be taken by at least “The Right to Information forum” to whom I have mailed the details of my case.