<Anchor> This is a
friendly economic time. Today (19th), I will be with reporter Kim Hye-min. Reporter Kim Now, the 4th step of distancing is being applied to the metropolitan area, and this is going to be expanded. Then, in the end, the 4th stage says that people who are preparing for a trip or meeting will have a lot of difficulty because of the fact that there are not a lot of people.
<Reporter> The
4th stage of social distancing and the holiday season in July are intertwined this time.
Those who were planning to go on an early vacation must have had their plans disrupted as the distance was expanded to four levels.
In addition, there may be conflicts with companies due to refunds or penalties. I looked at the number of consultations received at the counseling center of the Korea Consumer Agency.
It was on the 9th that the 4th level upgrade to the metropolitan area was announced. From that time to the present, the number of consultations related to accommodations has exceeded 800 at the consultation center.
Around this time last year, Corona had been in a quiet state for a while. Compared to back then, it increased by 230% in just one year.
More than 270 consultations related to ceremonial occasions such as marriage and first birthday parties were also received, which is a significant increase from last year.
The most common inquiries were that they wanted to cancel the contract, or the penalty was too high when they tried to cancel it.
<Anchor>
Now, when the 4th level of social distancing is reached, in the case of lodging establishments, more than three people will not be able to stay overnight. If this happens, then is it all reversible?
<Reporter>
Even last winter, there were many cases of sudden cancellation of accommodation reservations due to the sudden expansion of social distancing.
However, there was no refund standard at the time, so I was confused. In addition, the Fair Trade Commission prepared consumer dispute resolution standards at the time.
According to this standard, if the contract cannot be performed because movement is practically restricted or it is impossible to meet due to COVID-19 distancing measures, the contract can be canceled without a penalty.
Currently, in the metropolitan area, etc., you cannot gather more than 4 people before 6 pm and more than 2 people after that. Accommodation rooms cannot accommodate more than 3 people. You can only use up to two-thirds of it, and the rest must be left blank.
If the actual accommodation becomes difficult due to these regulations, the penalty may be waived. For example, if three friends make a reservation for a pension to go on a trip to Gyeonggi-do, but want to cancel due to the 4th level of social distancing, you do not have to pay the penalty.
Also, although this is a matter of course, the penalty is waived even when the number of room reservations exceeds two-thirds and the accommodation company needs to cancel the existing reservation.
<Anchor>
Reporter Kim, that is, if you look at the accommodations related, you can cancel without a penalty if the distance in the area you are going to is 4 steps. I can sort this out. So what about the wedding hall or first birthday party?
<Reporter> In
the case of a wedding, now only 49 relatives are allowed to attend. If you have a wedding scheduled for this weekend, and you want to postpone it, you do not have to pay the penalty.
In addition, the contents of the contract can be changed, such as adjusting the minimum number of guarantees that must be paid unconditionally even if all guests do not arrive.
If you want to cancel the ceremony altogether, 40% of the penalty is reduced. In addition, events such as first birthday parties are practically impossible to hold as private gatherings are prohibited. So you may be able to get a penalty waiver.
The Fair Trade Commission recently sent an official letter to the relevant industry and asked them to understand and comply with these penalty reduction standards. You can't.
And since there is no specific standard such as how long the postponement is possible, each company is applying it differently. For the time being, it seems that this confusion will continue in the field.
<Anchor> That's
right. I can't force this. It is simply a recommendation. So, what is the best way for consumers to avoid this in advance?
<Reporter>
If you have already signed a contract and a dispute arises because of this contract, you will have to resolve it through the Korea Consumer Agency, etc., but for those who want to avoid such a dispute, it is still best to be careful on your own.
For wedding halls and banquet facilities, the contract details are different for each company. When the social distancing steps are intensified, it's a good idea to ask in advance what the refund and deferral rules will be and write them down.
It is also helpful to change the reservation method for accommodation reservations. In the case of hotels in the metropolitan area, if the customer made a reservation directly through the official website, in most cases, a refund can be obtained without penalty from 3 days to 1 day before the reservation date.
But these days, most of the accommodation platforms are used a lot. In such a case, you have to follow the standards of each site, and platform companies often say that they cannot give refunds that are not in the regulations.
So, while booking through the platform is much cheaper, it's good to know that getting a refund like this is a bit more disadvantageous.