Planned a vacation for our family and approached Makemytrip(MMT) to customize a trip for 6 days, and 5 nights to Rajasthan, viz Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Jaisalmer.
MMT charged close to Rs.41000 per head for air-fare to and from Rajasthan(Kolkata-New Delhi-Udaipur and Jodhpur-Kolkata respectively), hotel stay for 5 nights, and transportation by a MUV.
From the outset, when we reached Udaipur airport, our ordeal started. The vehicle that was supposed to take us to the hotel was not present and the transport agency fixed by MMT was either clueless or had assigned the car to someone else for making a quick buck. Ultimately a car was sent to us after half an hour of wait with my family in the sun, the driver was not briefed properly, he did not know the route to the hotel and flatly told me that he was just supposed to drop us at the hotel and was not aware of any future program as detailed in our itinerary, The next two days it was a constant pressure situation as I had to call up the transporter multiple times to get hold of a vehicle. I was kept on tenterhooks so much so that I had to miss out on the site seeing of a few places in Udaipur.
I was assigned and assured that the hotels that had been booked for us were all three-star properties. Now I don’t know what MMT means by the term 3 stars. Either they have very poor perceptions or they are making money by fooling customers. All these so-called “3 STAR” hotels had stinking toilets, broken doors(that did not lock properly), and TVs’ that did not work. One hotel had the same set of batteries for the remote and the AC, and one was expected to interchange them while using the particular remote.
At Jodhpur, the hotel was such that a car could not drive up to its door. We were off-loaded on the road and had to wheel our luggage for almost 800 meters and then lug them up ourselves over steep stairs(no lift available). Here also the bathroom had leaky faucets that had water dripping through the night. The last hotel at Jaisalmer was where one would be scared to step out of the hotel, such a remote locality. Here too the rooms and bathrooms were far from average(the cockroaches were 3-star alright). The basin was broken and again no lift.
So much for an Rs.1.63 lakh package for 5 nights by MMT. My booking Id NL2102123296144.
I should also mention that the very formal MMT staff on the helpline were clueless in most cases when I raised the issue. In one case the support staff did not know who the travel agent assigned by MMT was and I had to guide him. In between my complaints, MMT offered me a gift voucher of Rs.3000 with conditions attached of course.
Through this post, I would like to tell MMT that a vacation is not only about money and coupons. It is a moment in our lives that won’t come back and a messed up vacation leaves a bad taste in the mouth that a gift coupon will not heal. Missed opportunities that we suffered due to inefficient trip management are something for which MMT cannot be forgiven.