As the Corona disaster calms down and travel demand recovers, there is a tendency to increase inquiries about troubles related to online travel reservation sites.
As border measures are eliminated and more people are expected to enjoy traveling abroad, the government is reminding consumers that travel reservation sites operated by overseas operators may not adequately protect consumers in the event of cancellations.
If you have had trouble refunding
A woman in her 70s living in Tokyo reported that she had trouble refunding money on a travel reservation site operated by an overseas operator, and sent information to NHK's News Post in March.
The woman planned a trip to Hawaii last year and bought an airline ticket on the site.
I had booked a hotel on this site in the past, and this time I decided to use it because the air ticket was relatively cheap.
However, in July last year, two months after the purchase, the flight I was planning to use was canceled due to the airline's convenience, and the airline contacted me to apply for a refund through the agent I made the reservation for.
So, when I contacted the operator of the site, I received an email saying that "you can get a full refund, and the refund will take about 3 to 2 months."
However, more than 7 months have passed since then, and even now, more than 3,6 yen in airfare has not been refunded, and during this time, when the woman inquired by e-mail, she continued to reply with contents such as "coordinating refund" and "processing".
In April, when the woman contacted the inquiry desk again by phone, the business operator explained, "It is presumed that it is taking a long time to process refunds from the partner company."
The woman said, "I don't understand why they just keep repeating 'in progress' and not getting a refund even though it's been almost a year, and I don't think it's sincere. These sites are heavily advertised, so I'm worried that more people will have similar experiences."
With the relaxation of border measures, consultations about problems are on the rise.
Travel demand has recovered due to the improvement of the infection situation of the new coronavirus and the relaxation of border measures, and it seems that the number of people who enjoyed traveling during this long holiday period greatly exceeded last year both in Japan and overseas.
In particular, demand for overseas travel is expected to increase further in the future as the status of the new coronavirus under the Infectious Diseases Act has shifted to "Class 5" and border measures have disappeared.
On the other hand, according to the National Consumer Affairs Center, consultations about troubles related to online travel reservation sites have been increasing recently, in line with the recovery in demand.
Specifically, the number of consultations, which had been on an increasing trend until fiscal 2019, decreased for two consecutive years after the onset of the Corona disaster, but started to increase last year and doubled from the previous fiscal year.
Last fiscal year, there were many consultations about domestic travel, partly due to the influence of "nationwide travel support", but consultations about overseas travel gradually became more prominent, and the number of consultations in March was 2, more than domestic travel, and the monthly number was the highest in the previous fiscal year.
The Japan Tourism Agency states that some sites operated by overseas OTAs = "online travel transaction operators" have an insufficient system for responding to inquiries from consumers, and that consumers may not be sufficiently protected in the event of cancellation if the Japan is not registered under the Travel Agency Act.
Therefore, when booking accommodation or airline tickets through these sites, we remind you to check the cancellation conditions and conditions carefully and fully understand the contents before using them.
Overseas Travel Booking Sites Why Trouble
Domestic travel agencies and domestic businesses that operate travel reservation sites are obliged to conduct transactions based on the Travel Agency Act and must be registered by the national or prefectural government.
If a registered business goes bankrupt or causes trouble with a consumer due to refunds, etc., there is a mechanism that allows consumers to receive reimbursement with a deposit deposited in advance by each business.
On the other hand, according to the Japan Tourism Agency, most overseas businesses are not registered under the Travel Agency Act, and in that case, consumers are not protected by this mechanism.
Toshiro Yajima, an associate professor at the Faculty of International Relations at Japan University who has worked for a major travel agency for more than 30 years and is familiar with the domestic and overseas travel industry, said, "Japan laws are unparalleled in the world in terms of consumer protection, and the cancellation conditions are carefully explained, but this is not the norm overseas Japan. If you face them with the same feeling, there will be misunderstandings and misunderstandings," he said, adding, "It is important to check properly because the conditions for cancellation for overseas businesses differ considerably from company to company."
On top of that, he said, "Travel reservation sites are convenient and easy to use, and overseas operators' sites generally have the advantage of being cheaper, but if you are not used to traveling abroad for the first time, for example, I would like you to use them skillfully according to the situation and purpose, such as using a domestic operator even if the price is a little higher."
【Points to note on the travel reservation site】
What should I pay attention to when using a travel reservation site? The Japan Tourism Agency introduces checkpoints.
Basic information of the business operator
Please check not only the site name but also the name
▽ address
▽ name of the representative or responsible person
▽ whether or not the travel agency is registered for the business
operator.
For the address, please also check whether it is domestic or international, and if it is domestic, check whether you are registered as a travel agency.
On the other hand, most businesses with overseas bases are not registered under the Japan Travel Agency Act, so please check the contents of the terms of use carefully.
The system for accepting inquiries is
Next, please check the system for accepting inquiries.
▽Contact information
▽Reception hours
▽It is necessary to check if the supported languages are listed.
Even if the reservation itself can be made with Japanese, there is a possibility that the Japanese response is not sufficient when trouble occurs.
Please make sure that there is a contact point for Japanese.
The terms and conditions of the trip are
Some sites only compare or introduce travel plans from several operators, in which case the operator of the site is not a party to the contract.
▽ Parties
to the contract ▽ Payment price and breakdown
▽ Payment method
▽ Conditions
of cancellation ▽ Please check the terms and conditions.
Terms of use and terms and conditions are the contents of contracts with businesses. Be sure to check for any inconvenient clauses.
【Examples of such consultations】
This is an example of a consultation case about a problem related to a travel reservation site sent to the National Consumer Affairs Center.
I was charged even though it was displayed as "no cancellation fee"
After confirming that the application screen of the overseas company displayed "No cancellation fee", I applied for a hotel stay and paid the full amount by credit card.
After that, it became inconvenient, and when I told them about the cancellation over the phone, I was told that there was a cancellation fee, and that the cancellation fee was stated in the cancellation policy.
Even though it says "no cancellation fee", I am not satisfied that the cancellation fee is charged.
Reservations made more than 2 months in advance Non-refundable even if canceled on the day of reservation?
I booked a hotel in New York on an international travel booking site.
However, at night, I could not go on the reserved date, so when I requested cancellation on the same day, I was told that "that plan is non-refundable, so it cannot be refunded."
I contacted them on the same day, and the trip departed more than two months in advance, so there should be no cancellation fee normally. I can't accept that it won't be refunded.
The hotel accommodation service was different from what I booked online
I booked a hotel stay "with free breakfast" via the Internet, but when I actually stayed, breakfast was not included.
If you apply for the first and last name in reverse, you cannot correct it and it will be canceled.
I booked an airline ticket on an overseas travel reservation site, but when I applied, I registered my first and last name in reverse.
The airline told me to ask the travel agent to fix it, but the response was that "we do not provide such a service" and that it would be difficult to refund because I had to cancel.