Yekaterinburg’s Central Department of Rospotrebnadzor (the state consumer rights watchdog) published the results of inspecting the city’s travel agents.

After the Russian tourism legislation was modified in 2007, Rospotrebnadzor had to inspect a number of companies (including Palma Tours, SverdlovskKurort, Zheltyi Chemodan, and Time Travel) after complaints had been filed by some of their customers.

The inspections revealed that these travel agents violated the existing sanitary regulations as well as some of consumers’ rights:

1. The companies failed to fully inform the customers about the product in an easy, illustrative, and reliable way and thus deprived them of a chance to choose the best holiday option.

2. The companies failed to explain to the customers the servicing regulations (adopted by the Russian Government on July 18, 2007 /Provision 452), as these regulations were simply missing.

3. The travel agents provided their customers with the travel services through an agreement that contained no information as to the travel agents’ details, the particulars of the product offered, the dangers possibly associated with the prospective trip, the national and religious peculiarities of the destination point, the medical, sanitary-and-epidemiological, or some other regulations, the terms of compensating the two parties’ damage, and so on.

As the city dwellers’ demand for travel services has started to rise again this year, Rospotrebnadzor warns them to read the agreements they are about to sign with the tour operator very carefully. To avoid some possible troubles and keep their vacation unspoiled, customers need to make sure their agreements have all the above-mentioned points in them.