As luck would have it, it is past the banking hours. And so you have no option but to delay your programme by one more day just to ensure that the payment is made to the travel agent by cash.

Most consumers face this problem. And are quick to state that this happens mainly because the travel agents would like to hoodwink the law. But agents contend otherwise. ``There is no way in which you can take advantage of the law. If the government wants, it can check any travel agency's list as all airlines keep a record,'' states Amrish Mahajan of Travel House.

Thenwhy are customers put through the inconvenience on non-acceptance of both credit cards and cheque? ``Look, it is very simple,'' he goes on to state. ``It takes any organisation a lot of paper and legwork before it can finally get any credit card representation. Despite the hassles, banks also create their own set of problems for organisations. Either the payment comes in very late, or it comes in without the required sets of details, making the agent go into another spin. And when it comes to ticketing, we are talking of a lot of money. These problems normally result in agents requesting the customers not to offer credit cards,'' he adds.

As regards cheque payments the problems are even worse. ``Normally if the bank is close by, most agents prefer to send their own person down to collect the payment while the customer is still present, as in more cases than one cheques have bounced,'' says Mahajan.

These problems, though, can be addressed. According to rules circulated by the Travel Agents Association ofIndia, it is mandatory for a travel agent to circulate the names of a defaulting client. But this generally does not happen. This is because the trade is not as organised as any other industry.

In addition, the spirit of competition and undercutting is still very rampant and thus if a customer is refused by one travel agent, he is bound to be taken up by another one. But, STIC's Chairman and the President of the Indian Association of Tour Operators Subhash Goyal states otherwise. ``In the first instance, not many travellers possess credit cards. Secondly, while credit card companies charge flat commissions of 3 per cent, the profit margins in the trade are hardly 1 or 2 per cent, leaving the agency to pay up if they accept payment via the credit card. In addition, the dishonouring of cheques leads the agent through a lot of problems, as the traveller has already left the country. Which is why many agents do not accept cheque payments.

When questioned about the circulation of the names of the discreditedtravellers, Goyal states that it is impossible for this to be accomplished mainly because of the volumes involved.

Thus, despite the fact that customers on the move are put through a host of problems due to the non-acceptance of credit cards and cheques, it appears the practice will continue. Travel agents tend to lose because of the inherent hassles involved, while at other times innocent travellers are unnecessarily put through a lot of problems.