Consumer Fraud & Safety Threat During Sri Lanka Trip — Formal Complaint Against Arjun S Ram, owner of Samvit holidays

[Rachna Kumar]

Hotel Name

Samvit holidays

Company Name

Samvit holidays

Website Name

samvittours@gmail.com

Customer Care Number

+91 90710 86890

Loss Amount

30700

Ratings

1.00 star(s)

Opposite Party Address

# 22, Ground Floor, Nagappa Street,
Palace Guttahalli, Bengaluru - 560003

Trip Details

• Trip dates: 10th October – 15th October
• Package taken from: Samvit Holidays (Owner: Arjun S. Ram)
• Package inclusions:
  • 3-night hotel stay (arranged by Arjun/Samvit Holidays)
  • Land package + attractions
• Total cost quoted: ₹78,000

Payment Details

• ₹40,000 paid on 26th September via Google Pay
• ₹38,000 paid on 30th September via Google Pay
• Proof of payment + acknowledgment from Arjun already shared

INCIDENT SUMMARY

• Upon arrival in Sri Lanka, we realized we had mistakenly left our debit/credit cards at home.
  We had only limited USD as cash.
• 12 October:
  • Due to lack of local currency, I transferred ₹15,700 to Mr. Arjun (Samvit) via Google Pay.
  • He confirmed that he would arrange equivalent Sri Lankan Rupees through his local agent.
    (Evidence: GPay screenshot + WhatsApp chat)
• 14 October (hotel checkout day):
  • The Sri Lankan operator (Aziz) informed us that Samvit/Arjun had not paid them for our bookings.
  • Only a partial payment was sent that day — less than half of what was owed — despite us prepaying ₹78,000 to Samvit.
  • Because of non-payment, the operator refused to issue local currency and stopped all services.
• Consequences:
  • We were not allowed to check out, as the hotel demanded payment.
  • We remained in the lobby for hours without access to food, water, or washrooms.
  • Local operator began verbal pressure and threats, including stopping transport and involving authorities.
• With no funds or support from Arjun:
  • We contacted another Indian travel agent who paid the hotel bill so we could check out.
  • We later repaid ₹15,000 to this agent
• Continued harassment:
  • The Sri Lankan operator repeatedly threatened to stop our vehicle during heavy rain and refused onward travel without payment.
  • We received multiple harassing calls from unknown Sri Lankan numbers demanding money.
  • Arjun repeatedly ignored calls, delayed action, and kept assuring “I will pay shortly”, but did not pay.
• Arjun later admitted:
  • He had only ₹10,000.
  • He demanded that we pay additional 40-50k to get us out of trouble, even though we had already prepaid the full amount.
  • He stated that the money we had paid him was “not available with him.”
• 15 October (airport transfer):
  • Driver diverted to an unknown location after a call from Aziz.
  • We feared for our safety and felt forcibly taken elsewhere.
  • I recorded a video naming Arjun and sent it to my parents as a safety measure
• Only after this escalation:
  • Arjun made a partial payment within minutes, which allowed the local operator to release us and let us go to the airport.
• Outstanding amounts not refunded by Arjun:
  • ₹15,700 (local currency transfer we never received)
  • ₹15,000 (sightseeing and other activities that were never provided)
  • Reimbursement for harassment, disruption, or mental trauma.
  • He is now being rude and stating same reasons to get out of this without paying

Additional Information (Repeat Offender)

• After returning to India, we discovered that this is not the first time Mr. Arjun has done this.
• On the same consumer complaint website, we found another complaint filed by a woman who had traveled to Kashmir through him.
• In her case as well, Mr. Arjun failed to pay the local Kashmiri agents, and she was similarly harassed by unknown men and threatened during her trip due to non-payment.
• This shows a clear pattern of fraud and repeat misconduct.
• I am attaching the link of the other complaint as supporting evidence.
• Poor experience and Cancellation refund issue - Samvit Holidays

Throughout the trip we were subjected to extreme mental harassment and sustained fear for our personal safety. Repeated unanswered calls, false assurances, threats from local agents, being refused basic needs (food, water, washroom access), and being forced to wait in a hotel lobby or driven taking us to unknown locations left us in a constant state of panic and distress. We feared we might be prevented from leaving the country or even physically harmed — emotions no traveller should ever experience. This emotional trauma ruined what was meant to be a holiday and has caused ongoing anxiety since our return. We therefore request a refund of the prepaid amounts, reimbursement of the emergency payments we were forced to make, and fair compensation for the severe mental harassment and distress caused by the opposite party.