'Not what I paid for': Hajj lottery packages downgraded, but no refund

Potential pilgrims are having Hajj packages price tens of hundreds of {dollars} downgraded, however are usually not being supplied partial refunds to make up the distinction, with simply days to go till the beginning of the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. 

In early June, the Saudi authorities made a shock determination to sideline conventional journey companies and as a substitute use Motawif, a government-backed portal run by an Indian firm with hyperlinks to New Delhi as revealed by Center East Eye, to hold out a lottery system.

Motawif organised a random draw that Muslims from Europe, Australia and the Americas needed to undergo to attend Hajj this 12 months, set to begin on 7 July.

Since then, candidates have advised MEE of quite a few issues, together with being turned away at airports and bookings failing regardless of full funds going by.

Many pilgrims who had beforehand been within the “paid however failed” class have since had their bookings accepted, however have now complained of not receiving what they’ve paid for. 

A West Yorkshire-based British pilgrim, who spoke on situation of anonymity, advised MEE that her bundle for 3 folks, costing over $33,000, had been decreased from 22 days to 14 days. 

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“I noticed that my bundle had been modified and differed vastly from what I had paid for,” she mentioned. 

“[I] contacted them and was advised firstly that they can’t lengthen the times to match my unique reserving. Then I requested a few refund for the distinction in worth and I used to be advised no.”

She mentioned that along with having the size of her keep shortened, her lodge was modified from a triple room to a shared quad room, and meals had been modified from half board to mattress and breakfast.

“What I’ve paid for isn’t what I am getting,” she mentioned, including that an “extremely impolite” Motawif customer support agent hung up on the cellphone to her. “There may be completely no accountability by any a part of this course of.”

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MEE has reached out to Motawif for remark. 

‘You modified our bundle’

A number of different pilgrims took to social media to complain about new packages not honouring what they’d paid for. 

One pilgrim said that his 20-day gold bundle was decreased to 14 days, with lodges and providers downgraded. 

One other said that his meals had been modified from half board to mattress and breakfast, and his “gold bundle” camp in pilgrimage web site Mina had been downgraded. 

A US-based pilgrim tweeted that he had booked a room for 2 folks, however it was modified to a shared quad room. 

“You’ve gotten modified our bundle (after cost) from 21 days to fifteen days, modified our lodges and altered our Mina camp, will you be partially refunding the quantity we spent given all these adjustments?” one pilgrim tweeted, tagging Motawif and the Saudi Hajj ministry. 

On Wednesday, the Hajj ministry announced an “pressing bundle of options” for western pilgrims who had confronted issues with the portal. 

It mentioned it was “working to safe various flights and extra seats for pilgrims wishing to journey to Saudi Arabia from Britain, the US of America and European nations”. 

“The ministry is in common contact with these affected by the restricted seating capability and the technical difficulties skilled by pilgrims utilizing the digital portal.”