Returning Umra pilgrims claim they were lied to

Returning pilgrims complain tour operators gave them wrong information about accommodation and transportation.

LAHORE: Several pilgrims who have returned after performing Umra have complained that their tour operators deceived them regarding the facilities that would be provided to them during their stay in Saudi Arabia.

The returning pilgrims claimed that their tour operators had given them wrong information about accommodation and transportation facilities that would be available to them in Makkah and Madinah, as per their tour package. They demanded that the Ministry of Religious Affairs take action against the tour operators who made money by cheating pilgrims to the holy cities. “My tour operator told me that my designated accommodation would be quite close to the haram sharif (the main mosque) but it was around two kilometres away from the site,” said Malik Mukhtar, who performed Umra this Ramazan. He said he was accompanied by his elderly mother and endured a number of problems as a result of this circumstance, besides being forced to spend additional money on transportation.

Another pilgrim, Ali Hasan, said he was promised a room with a double bed, but the room he was given was very cramped. “My tour operator said that I would be given three-star accommodation but what I was provided with was below par,” he said.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the tour operators insisted that the pilgrims had not been cheated and the facilities that had been provided to them had been explicitly outlined in the packages offered to them.

They said that some of the pilgrims had not properly understood the package they had signed up for, and had only insisted on cutting costs. “We give complete information regarding accommodation and transportation, but the majority of would-be pilgrims emphasise affordability. When they reach Saudi Arabia, some of them become angry about the quality of services provided,” said a tour operator, Sudhir Akhtar. He said that people should understand the terms of the respective packages and then decide on one.

Salmaan Tahir, the Punjab chapter chairman of the Pakistan Haj-o-Umra Organisers Association, said that both sides were at fault. He said that people about to depart for Umra should understand beforehand that there is a significant difference between three-star hotels in Makkah and other international metropolises.

“There is a shortage of space in general in the city due to the large number of pilgrims and hotel rooms tend to be small. People assume rooms in three-star hotels would be sufficient for their needs. When they actually see the rooms given to them, they get angry,” he said. However, he also added that tour operators don’t give comprehensive information to their customers, which causes misunderstandings.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2010.