JEDDAH – Many foreign pilgrims have complained that agents of Umrah companies in their countries cheated them by allotting accommodation in low-class hotels or far away from the central area of Makkah even after charging them high prices. Mohammed Rajab, an Egyptian, said he had agreed with an Umrah company agent to make reservation in a hotel in the central area of Makkah so that he can perform the regular prayers in the Grand Mosque five times a day without hassle. "Because of old age it is difficult for me to stay in a hotel far away from the Haram (Grand Mosque) and then catch a bus or taxi to reach the mosque for every prayer," Rajab told Makkah daily. "I asked the agent to book a hotel room close to the Grand Mosque so that I would not miss any of the obligatory prayers in the mosque. But when I arrived in Makkah I found the hotel far away from the Haram. This is clear cheating by the agent," he said. Sulaiman Ibrahim, another pilgrim, had a similar experience. "Whenever I come for Umrah, I book a hotel room located the in the central region of Makkah. I am ready to pay any price for it to be in the vicinity of the Haram." He added: "This time when I arrived in Makkah I was accommodated in a low-class hotel offering poor services. I rejected that hotel as its services were not commensurate with the money I paid." Ibrahim said he paid the money on condition that the hotel should be located inside the central region and provided excellent services. "I am planning to lodge a complaint against the agent." Saad Al-Qurashi, a member of the board of directors of Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said such problems and discrepancies are caused by intermediaries. "Some Umrah companies do not reach an agreement with pilgrims directly. Instead they use brokers, who make deals with the pilgrims promising them all facilities and the best of services. After charging the pilgrims high prices, the brokers allocate them cheap hotels in the central region, giving an impression that they will be staying closer to the Haram," Al-Qurashi told the newspaper. Al-Qurashi urged pilgrims to get all details of the hotel in Makkah and its price before reaching an agreement. "Other countries have their own laws and regulations and it is difficult to interfere. So the pilgrim should make a thorough check before making payments to protect his interests," he said. Hatim Qadi, spokesman for the Ministry of Haj and Umrah, said his organization supervises pilgrims' dealings with Saudi Umrah firms on the basis of visas they have been issued. "If a pilgrim is accommodated in a low-class hotel in violation of the agreement, the ministry would investigate it and if the complaint is genuine, the pilgrim would be shifted to the class of hotel he was promised in the agreement." However, he pointed out that the ministry will not be able to take any action against intermediaries outside the Kingdom who cheat pilgrims by offering cheap services for high prices.
