Why are so many people unable to get their money back after refunding their flight tickets?

A few days ago, the Chongqing Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued news that the epidemic prevention and control situation is complex, calling on citizens not to leave the country unless necessary, and to strictly abide by the epidemic prevention regulations such as "reservations, flow restrictions, and peak staggering" in tourist attractions in the city. Travel across provinces and reduce gathering activities.

As soon as the news came out, many citizens made up their minds to cancel their travel plans. Since we are currently in the peak summer travel season, the surge in the number of refunds has caused many platforms to have problems such as unreachable customer service calls and slow refund progress. Some citizens have even paid high refund fees for this. Why do these phenomena occur? How can we reduce the loss of chargebacks caused by the epidemic? The reporter learned about this.

The cancellation and change policies are not issued at the same time

You can only bear the loss if you leave early?

“The epidemic situation has been very serious recently, and the travel risk is relatively high, so I wanted to refund the ticket as soon as possible.” Ms. Wu told reporters that her family originally booked a trip from Chongqing to Rizhao, Shandong at the end of July, but When it came to refunding the check, she was in trouble.

The reporter learned that from July 28, Ms. Wu began to apply for a refund due to the epidemic, but one day later, she was rejected by the platform. Seeing that the departure time was approaching day by day, she was worried that the later she returned, the more fees would be deducted, so she chose to "force cancel" on July 29, resulting in a loss of nearly 3,000 yuan.

Shortly after her refund, China Airlines announced its policy on cancellations and changes due to the epidemic, and the ticket she booked was within the free range. Since the ticket had been refunded in advance, the airline could not compensate her for this loss.

“It’s difficult to get through to the platform’s customer service number. Once you get through, they will ask you to find the airline, but the airline can’t contact you. If you leave early, you have to bear the loss yourself. It’s such a loss! ”

Like Ms. Wu, Ms. Xiang also suffered from refunds. She originally planned to visit Yantai and other places in August and booked round-trip air tickets through two different platforms. But when it came to refunding the tickets, one platform quickly refunded the tickets in full, while the other platform was always stuck in the refund application process. "One of the itineraries is Chengdu Airlines, which has never issued a policy. When I submitted a partial refund application on July 30, there was no place to submit the voucher. The people traveling with me even called and sent emails to complain, but there was no reply. ”

Miss Xiang said that because the platforms and airlines introduced refund and change policies at different paces, this added a lot of twists and turns to the refund process. Later, she applied for a refund after the airline introduced a cancellation policy, and the refund was almost instantaneous. However, the refund she applied for previously was still in the review process.

The number of refunds has surged

It is recommended that refunds be made after the introduction of policies

The reporter learned that due to the large number of people who have canceled travel plans recently, the above phenomena are quite significant. universal. What are the reasons that make it difficult to withdraw? How can citizens and friends reduce losses?

The reporter learned from the Qunar platform that on July 29, the total number of inquiries on the platform reached three times the usual; the number of unsubscriptions reached four times the usual, approaching the 2021 Spring Festival. At present, it is difficult to make calls from either airlines or platforms, which has also exacerbated consumers’ anxiety.

Relevant staff pointed out that if the corresponding airline has not issued a refund or change policy, you can choose the policy subscription function to check whether the ticket can be refunded at any time. "If you refund a ticket before the cancellation and change policy is announced, you may not be able to refund the handling fee later. If consumers are not about to take off, it is recommended to wait for the policies of the airline and the platform."

Fliggy He said that the epidemic situation is changing every day, and airline policies are not so unified. Refunds for medium- and high-risk areas are indeed based on airline policies. The platform will actively contact the airlines. As long as the free refund and change policy is met, refunds will generally be made within 3 days. There will be a conclusion within. "You can pay more attention to the refund and refund policies issued by airlines for medium- and high-risk areas. In addition, if the cancellation or refund application is due to the epidemic, choose involuntary epidemic refund and refund."

Industry insiders pointed out that last year When the epidemic broke out, travel products such as air tickets, train tickets, hotels, and scenic spots all introduced free refund and change policies, and the coverage gradually expanded over time. Normally, the same handling will be applied if such a situation occurs again. This requires consumers to wait patiently and refund the tickets after the official announcement of refunds and changes. In addition, you can also reduce losses by purchasing refund insurance.

Extension

See here for the cancellation and change policies of each platform

Ctrip: Free cancellation for hotels, air tickets, etc. in medium and high-risk areas

Ctrip We have been paying close attention to the dynamics of epidemic prevention and control in Nanjing. With the emergence of related cases in many regions in the country and the addition of new cases in medium and high-risk areas, Ctrip has launched a travel guarantee plan for sudden disasters to provide users with more secure and convenient services.

For hotel products: The check-in date is from July 26 to August 11. If the hotel is in a medium-high-risk area, you can apply for free cancellation due to the epidemic. If you currently live in a medium- to high-risk area and are unable to travel to other cities, you can also contact customer service to apply for a free cancellation.

For vacation products: The departure date is between July 26th and August 11th. All users who come from medium- and high-risk areas and the entire destination city is medium- and high-risk can apply for free cancellation with relevant certification materials. , the unsubscription losses incurred within the order will be borne by the platform.

Transportation products: Air tickets: Up to now, more than 30 airlines, including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Hainan Airlines, have successively introduced special plans for flights in and out of Nanjing, and other cities have also As it is gradually introduced, Ctrip has opened a self-service refund and change service channel for users who meet the airline's latest protection plan.

Train tickets: Tickets have been purchased successfully before 0:00 on July 22, 2021. The departure or arrival station is Nanjing area station (Nanjing, Nanjing South, Xianlin, Lishui, Jiangning, Jiangning West 6 stations Station), starting from 17:30 on July 21, 2021, self-service cancellations can be made within the order, and no refund handling fee will be charged. Other cities will also open self-service refund and change service channels in a timely manner in accordance with the latest policies announced by the railway department.

Bus tickets: According to the Nanjing transportation department’s announcement of the suspension of flights due to the epidemic, Ctrip has initiated automatic refunds, and no separate application is required. If you do not receive a refund due to the suspension, you can contact Ctrip customer service immediately for assistance. Other cities will also update their cancellation and change policies in a timely manner in accordance with the latest policies announced by the transportation department.

If the trip is canceled, Ctrip will strictly follow the latest regulations of various departments to provide users with cancellation and change services, and continue to provide users with comprehensive protection. In case of emergency, you can call @Ctrip customer service (Tel: 95010) for assistance at any time.

Fliggy: Initiating emergency refund and change measures for transportation, vacation, hotel and other products

Fliggy Travel pays close attention to the epidemic prevention and control dynamics. Due to new additions in medium- and high-risk areas, Fliggy Travel has started Emergency return and modification measures for transportation, vacation, hotel and other products.

In terms of transportation products, airlines have successively launched inbound and outbound flights to Nanjing, Dalian, Zhuhai, Shenyang, Mianyang, Yangzhou, Mangshi, Chengdu, Chongqing, Zhangjiajie, Changsha, Beijing, Zhengzhou and other cities. Special Policies. At the same time, Fliggy will pay close attention to the official updates and policy changes of airlines, railway bureaus, transportation bureaus and other relevant departments, and update the cancellation policy in real time. For tickets that comply with the free refund and change policy, Fliggy will assist passengers in need. Related Business.

In terms of scenic spot tickets and vacation products, bookings must be made before (inclusive) July 28, and the itinerary dates are between July 28 and August 13. Consumers from medium- and high-risk areas announced by the National Health Commission , or the destination city is a medium-to-high-risk area: Ticket orders can be refunded and changed for free with relevant certificates; other vacation products can be refunded and changed for free after negotiation according to merchant policies. If there are still actual losses after negotiation, Fliggy will bear them.

In terms of hotel products, hotel orders placed on the Fliggy platform before July 28 (inclusive) and with check-in dates between July 28 and August 13 are hotel orders in medium- and high-risk areas. , you can apply for free cancellation or change due to the epidemic. If consumers currently live in medium- to high-risk areas and are unable to travel to other cities, they can contact Fliggy customer service to apply for a free refund or change. Due to the economic losses caused by temporary cancellations and changes, Fliggy will fully coordinate with the hotel and do its best to minimize consumer losses.

At the same time, Fliggy reminds passengers that they must keep abreast of the latest local epidemic prevention policies before traveling, and be fully prepared to ensure travel safety and smooth travel.

Qunar: Air tickets and train tickets are implemented in accordance with the policy, and hotels in relevant cities can cancel for free

In response to the impact of local epidemics on travel in various places, the online travel platform Qunar announced on July 29 On the basis of issuing relevant policies, we will continue to issue countermeasures: For all bookings through the Qunar platform, the booking date is before July 29, 2021 (inclusive), and the check-in date is before August 11 (inclusive) Users who book hotel reservations in relevant cities can cancel for free if necessary.

At the same time, the Qunar platform will continue to pay attention to changes in the refund and exchange policies for air tickets and train tickets, and will strictly implement them in accordance with civil aviation and railway policies.

The newly added relevant cities include: Suqian City in Jiangsu Province, Yibin City in Sichuan Province, Yangzhou City in Jiangsu Province, Beijing City, Zhuhai City in Guangzhou Province, Changsha City in Hunan Province, Changde City in Hunan Province, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region< /p>

The policies issued on July 29 are: reservations for Nanjing City of Jiangsu Province, Chengdu City of Sichuan Province, Dalian City of Liaoning Province, Shenyang City of Liaoning Province, Mianyang City of Sichuan Province, Ruili City of Yunnan Province, and Zhangjiajie City of Hunan Province For hotel reservations in Fenghuang County, Hunan Province, users with a booking date before July 28, 2021 (inclusive) and a check-in date before August 11 (inclusive) can receive free service if necessary. Cancel.

Upstream News Reporter Tang Xiaozhen