With the Increase in Overseas Travel During Long Holidays, 'Flight Tickets and Accommodation' Complaints Also Surge

Consultations at Seoul Electronic Commerce Center Up by 25%
Damaged Items: Booking and Reservation Services Follow Clothing

Last year, complaints related to booking and reservation services such as airline tickets and accommodations received by the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center significantly increased compared to the previous year.

According to Seoul City on the 31st, the number of consumer damage consultations received by the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center last year was 8,056, a 24.7% increase from the previous year (6,460 cases). Through the center's active relief efforts, 3,691 cases (amounting to 1,016,380,000 KRW), accounting for 45.8% of the total consultations, resulted in consumer refunds. Additionally, 1,108 cases were resolved through mediation involving contract fulfillment, exchanges, or agreements.

The most common damaged items were clothing with 1,594 cases (19.8%). This was followed by booking and reservation services such as airline tickets and accommodations (1,261 cases, 15.7%), shoes, bags, fashion accessories, and jewelry (1,107 cases, 13.7%), leisure, culture, and kidult toys (721 cases, 8.9%), and home appliances and electrical products (462 cases, 5.7%).

Notably, consultations related to booking and reservation services, which were only 15 cases in 2022, surged to 364 cases in 2023 and 1,261 cases last year. Among these, consultations regarding airline ticket cancellation fees accounted for 1,115 cases (88.4%). This represents approximately a fourfold increase compared to the previous year (276 cases). The rise in overseas travel and the widespread purchase of airline tickets through online travel agencies (OTA) appear to have led to an increase in disputes related to overseas airline ticket cancellations.

According to the Electronic Commerce Act, consumers generally have the right to withdraw their subscription without penalty within seven days of the contract due to a simple change of mind. However, for services such as airline tickets or hotels, if a reservation is canceled well in advance of the usage date, cancellation fees are imposed according to the terms and conditions. The city explained that most complaints are related to this issue. Kim Myung-seon, Director of the Fair Economy Division of Seoul City, stated, "We will strive to minimize consumer damage by establishing a management and supervision system to create an electronic commerce environment where consumers can purchase with confidence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.