Discovering that a booked vacation property doesn’t actually exist can turn a dream holiday into a nightmare. The unfortunate incident occurred with an X user named Saurabh from Mumbai, who found out through a local friend that the luxurious villa they had booked in Goa was non-existent. The person who had booked the villa, took to social media and accused the travel booking company Homestays and Villas, along with its founder Siddharth Bakaria of fraud. According to Saurabh’s social media post, he even paid Rs 1.2 lakh to Bakaria to book the villa in Goa for the last week of December, only to face disappointment in the end.
The ‘X’ user revealed that they had booked a Goa villa on December 12, by paying Rs 1.2 lakh. Luckily, a friend checked the location days in advance and informed him that the place doesn’t exist. The user shared a screenshot of the company cancelling the booking, along with promising an Rs 40,000 refund by December 27, while the remaining amount will be paid within 14 days.
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However, the user further claimed that they only received Rs 40,000 and criticised Bakaria for ignoring calls and delaying payments with excuses. Saurabh then claimed that Bakaria informed him to proceed with a legal complaint.
@SidBakaria feigned ignorance, nor did he help us find an alternative. We ended up booking a different place on our own, effectively paying 2x for one villa. When we pushed for a refund, @SidBakaria stated he could not issue a refund for the whole amount at once. Image attached. pic.twitter.com/vbhJLSPCo4— Saurabh (@saubstoryy) March 7, 2023
We received 40k a few days after the email shown above. We are yet to receive the remaining 80k! @SidBakaria has ignored our calls time and again. He makes excuses to defer payment continuously. Finally, now that he’s out of excuses, he told us we could file a complaint. pic.twitter.com/lBrfpRxkTg— Saurabh (@saubstoryy) March 7, 2023
In response to the accusations, Bakaria conveyed his side of the story to News18, terming the incident “unfortunate.” Providing additional details, Bakaria clarified that the villa in question, RD Max Villa, was listed on Airbnb. “Our engagement with the property commenced on November 17, 2022, when we initiated contact with the host, Mr. Mohd Sameer, through the Airbnb platform,” Bakaria stated.
Unfortunately, it was later discovered that the villa did not exist, and the Airbnb listing was a fraudulent representation. “Our attempts to reach Mr. Sameer have proven futile as his phone remains switched off,” he revealed.
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Maintaining their legitimacy as a travel service provider with a reputable history of hosting numerous individuals in Goa, Bakaria expressed his commitment to addressing fraudulent cases seriously. He asserted that Rs 80,000 had already been refunded to Saurabh, with the intention to promptly refund the remaining amount once the investigation concludes and the perpetrator is apprehended.
Meanwhile, the case has been officially registered with the cyber cell of Chamba Police in Himachal Pradesh, with further updates pending.
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