A group of individuals in Melaka have come forward claiming that they were swindled out of RM135,000 by an Umrah travel agent. The group, consisting of 21 people, allege that they were deceived by the agent.
According to the group’s spokesperson, Mastura A Ghani, her husband paid approximately RM31,000 for five Umrah packages scheduled from February 13 to February 23. Each individual in the group purchased a package priced at RM6,550, which had been offered by the company in August the previous year.
Mastura mentioned that she had previously performed the Umrah pilgrimage with the same company, but was shocked by the numerous excuses given by the company after they had made the payment. She expressed her disappointment during a press conference held at the Ayer Keroh state constituency’s service centre.
Notably, Melaka State Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Kerk Chee Yee was also present at the press conference to show his support for the affected group. Mastura disclosed that her husband, Azman Rahim, decided to purchase the second Umrah package due to the attractive discount offered by the company.
The payments were made through monthly instalments, with the final payment being completed on December 15. Additionally, the company organized two Umrah courses and issued offer letters on December 9 to further convince the group.
However, just two days before the scheduled flight to Saudi Arabia on February 20, the company informed them that the flight had been postponed due to being fully booked. They were then informed of a second postponement because the staff failed to make the necessary bookings.
Mastura emphasized that the group found these excuses unacceptable, prompting them to request a refund. A police report was filed on March 6, with a consumer claims tribunal report following on March 8.
In response to the incident, Kerk urged for strict action to be taken against the company and advised the public to exercise caution when dealing with unregistered travel agents, especially when purchasing travel or Umrah packages.
