Your travel agency has stopped replying after payment: build a factual record

Define what is missing

A slow reply, missing voucher and approaching departure create different problems. Note the promised service, when it was due and what remains unconfirmed. Separate the agency's booking reference from the airline, hotel or tour operator's reference. If independent verification is needed, ask the named provider what it can confirm through its genuine support channel. A failed lookup or unanswered message alone does not establish fraud or cancellation.

AI-generated fictional photographic-style scene of an Indian couple sorting blank papers into plain folders at home. It is not an actual complaint, agency or client record.

Do not mark a booking valid simply because money left your account, either. Keep the payment fact separate from the service status. Identify any imminent check-in, ticketing or cancellation deadline from the actual documents rather than guessing how long it is safe to wait.

Make an evidence pack

Keep the original advertisement or quotation, agreed itinerary and dates, traveller count, inclusions, terms you accepted, invoice, payment receipt or statement entry, and all references. Build a dated contact log: channel used, message sent, response received and outstanding question. Preserve original emails and attachments where available alongside readable screenshots. Do not alter a voucher to fix a mismatch.

Add a short summary: amount/currency paid, payee as shown in the record, date, transaction reference, service promised, evidence of that promise and the remedy you are requesting. Distinguish facts from suspicions. Keep private identity and payment records out of public posts, and share only relevant evidence with the verified complaint recipient.

Send a clear request through an established channel

Use the contact in the original booking or another independently verified agency route, not a new number advertised by an unsolicited caller. Ask for the actual outstanding document or status, not simply "please respond". State the travel date and any genuine deadline. Request a written answer and a named person handling the issue.

A request can say: "Payment [reference] was made on [date] for [service]. We have not received [specific item] promised by [date]. Please confirm the current status, provide the document or explain the proposed remedy, and reply by [date/time tied to our travel needs]." This is a draft request for the reader to adapt, not a message sent on their behalf. A chosen reply deadline is not a statutory deadline or an automatic refund right.

Choose the reporting route from the facts

For an unresolved consumer-service grievance, India's National Consumer Helpline describes registration through its portal, mobile app, UMANG, WhatsApp or call centre. Its process forwards the grievance to the concerned entity and lets consumers track responses. Use the official site for the current channel and submission requirements. Registration is not a court judgment or a guarantee of refund.

If there are additional facts suggesting financial cyber fraud, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre identifies 1930 and the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal as financial-cyber-fraud reporting routes. Contact the bank through a genuine channel about the specific payment too. Do not wait to perfect a consumer dossier before reporting suspected active fraud, but do not label ordinary nonresponse a confirmed crime without evidence. Keep bank, consumer and cybercrime acknowledgements separately and follow their respective instructions.

Sources and limits

Checked 13 November 2026: National Consumer Helpline, process and limits and I4C, financial cyber-fraud reporting. No clear current publication or revision date was established for these pages. The evidence pack and request wording are editorial planning advice, not legal submission requirements. No particular agency, booking status, statutory deadline or recovery outcome is established. For the different question of an agent claiming a visa file was submitted, use the submission-proof checklist.