Travel agent ordered to return umrah package money

Chumerah (left) and Norwati were supposed to perform their umrah together in October 2023.

TWO housewives were looking forward to performing their umrah but were left disappointed by a Putrajaya-based travel agent.

Chumerah Sario, 57, and Norwati Jaffar, 58, had made full payment for their pilgrimage and were supposed to fly to Saudi Arabia on Oct 16, 2023.

Each of them paid RM7,990 for the 12-day, 10-night umrah package.

The first payment of RM5,000 was made via an online bank transfer in January 2023, and second payment of RM2,990 in August last year.

“There are 38 other people from all over the country who should be performing the umrah with us on the given date,” Chumerah said when met outside the Johor Consumer Claims Tribunal at Menara Ansar in Johor Baru.

She said despite settling their payments by August, the travel agent did not ask them for their passports to apply for visas to perform the umrah.

“The travel agent only informed us via WhatsApp messages in the group that our departure date had been postponed with no new dates given,” said Chumerah.

Norwati said they were taken in by the purported good online reviews about the company despite the negative news reports about it.

Both also said the company had posted photos of its umrah groups in Mecca and Madinah.

“The company promised that our group would be able to go for our trip most probably after October last year, but no fixed dates were given to us,” added Norwati.

Subsequently, it told those who wanted to cancel their trip to fill out forms to get their refunds.

“But, these were empty promises and we did not get back our money until now,” said Norwati.

Tribunal president Lee Chee Thim ordered the respondent, who did not attend the hearing, to reimburse RM7,990 each to Chumerah and Norwati within two weeks.

The tribunal can be reached at 07-227 1755/ 1766.