Travel activity apps refuse cancellation, refund

By Kim Rahn

Complaints are growing from consumers that many tickets and services reserved on tourist activity apps are not cancelled or refunded, according to the Korea Consumer Agency, Friday. / gettyimagesbank

Cancellation or refunds are not available for many tourist programs purchased via tourist activity reservation apps, drawing complaints from travelers, a consumer agency said, Friday.

The Korea Consumer Agency said it received 402 complaints regarding programs sold at Myrealtrip, Waug, KKday and Klook between 2016 and June this year.

These apps provide tickets and reservations to tourist activities and services, mostly in other countries, for individual travelers, such as theme park tickets, public transportation passes, or guided tours.

Of the complaints, 40.9 percent were about refusal to cancel or refund the purchased services, followed by 28.3 percent in which the consumers were unable to use the reserved programs fully.

In one such case, a man reserved a Hong Kong bus ticket for 75,000 won. Up arrival at the designated pick-up area, he could not use the ticket on the day he had planned because it was a holiday and the bus was not operating. He asked for a refund but was rejected.

In another case, a person pre-purchased a USIM chip to use in Taiwan. When making the reservation, the site said people can get the chip at a round-the-clock booth at the airport. But when the person arrived at the Taiwan airport at around midnight, the booth was closed and the person could not get the chip.

According to the agency, cancellation or refunds are not available for 46 out of 71 major programs sold through the four apps, or 64.8 percent. “But for most of the programs, the condition of 'nonrefundable' was not easily noticeable as the relevant phrases were written in the same small font, along with other terms of purchase,” the agency said in a press release.

Some of the sites showed the children's fare on the main page to make the prices of the programs appear low, and some showed low prices that are available only for locals.

“But for 20 out of 23 programs, which could be purchased at their own official websites, the travel activity apps were offering 7.3 percent to 55.4 percent lower prices than the official websites. So such apps, if well used, can help tourists save on travel expenses,” the agency said.

It recommended the app operators state conditions of purchase, such as “nonrefundable,” more clearly for increased consumer awareness. It also advised consumers to check such conditions thoroughly before purchase.