Our newspaper, Beijing, February 4 (Reporter Chen Dandan) “Not a penny of the 1,200 yuan air ticket will be refunded, only the fuel infrastructure fee and the money for hotel reservations will be refunded.” Today, Ms. Wu, who works in Urumqi, Xinjiang, reported to a reporter from the Workers’ Daily , she spent 1,601 yuan to book a "air ticket + hotel" package on an online travel platform on January 14 and wanted to cancel the order, but found that the 1,200 yuan air ticket fee was non-refundable. She felt it was very unreasonable.
On January 14, Ms. Wu purchased a Hainan Airlines ticket from Urumqi to Shenzhen on January 24 through an online travel platform, passing through Lanzhou, and included hotel accommodation fees for the night she arrived in Shenzhen, with a total price of 1,601 yuan. On January 16, 8 days before departure, Ms. Wu applied to cancel the ticket on the platform.
However, after Ms. Wu clicked to refund the ticket, she was surprised by the refund details that popped up on the order page: "Not a penny of the 1,200 yuan ticket will be refunded, only 401 yuan!" Afterwards, Ms. Wu immediately contacted the platform I contacted the airline’s customer service staff and was told that my order could not be changed and “the ticket price was non-refundable”.
"When I booked the ticket, I didn't see any notice that it couldn't be changed or refunded. I just ordered a supporting hotel because it was too late when I arrived in Shenzhen." Ms. Wu was very puzzled. "In the past, if something happened at last When canceling a ticket, the platform or airline will deduct handling fees according to a tiered standard."
Subsequently, Ms. Wu searched for flights on other booking platforms with the same airline, the same route, the same time, including air tickets and hotel services, and the same price of more than 1,000 yuan. The cancellation and change rules on the booking page all showed: Refunds follow the ladder Type handling fee. "According to the cancellation and change rules for similar flights, I should be charged a handling fee of 326 yuan for my refund on January 16, instead of deducting the 1,200 yuan ticket fee." Ms. Wu said.
“Platforms and airlines stated that they have reminded that air tickets cannot be refunded. However, shouldn’t such a clause that has an important impact on consumers pop up or be bolded? And, even if it is prompted, is such a clause really reasonable? "Ms. Wu asked.
In this regard, Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary-general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, said that the rules for ticket refunds and changes must be fair and reasonable, and consumers must be informed in an effective way. In particular, some information that is of major interest to consumers must be prompted in a conspicuous manner to fully protect consumers' right to know. If consumers’ rights and interests are harmed because an airline or platform fails to fulfill its obligations, consumers have the right to demand compensation. In addition, airlines and platforms must have clear channels for consumer rights protection. They may consider formulating tiered refund charging rules or setting up a "half-hour hesitation period" for bookings to avoid unnecessary losses to consumers who make mistakes.
"Nowadays, there are many choices for travel modes. Only by providing good services and providing consumers with a good consumption experience can companies achieve long-term development." Chen Yinjiang said.
As of press time, Ms. Wu is still negotiating with the platform and airlines, and her demands have not yet received a new response. (Worker Daily)