At the end of the refund fee high this unspoken rules

After the platform is open, Ctrip also accused the fare of the ticket again too expensive.

July 13, CCTV exposure Ctrip, a passenger on June 27 to buy Beijing to Qingdao travel package full price tickets, before long, apply for a refund found that the total fare is 1057 yuan, was charged a fee refund fee up to 473 yuan, only 584 yuan refund, refund fees over 40% of the total fare.

However, in accordance with the provisions of the airline's full price refund, the refund is 5% before take-off and 10% of the fare after take-off.

An OTA industry told reporters that the high cost of refund is unspoken rules within the industry, not only Ctrip one. "The fare increase + fare refund fee is the way for small-scale agents to survive on the OTA platform."

Open platform to blame

Travel packages into a product, not a single ticket, since it is the product, you do not have to follow the airline ticket signed back

The incident provoked Ctrip is a travel package.

According to Ctrip's instructions, travel packages include two types: one is "a value of 100,000 points coupon tour + a ticket", tourist coupons can be used for Ctrip tourism products, according to the amount paid for relief; the second Travel packages are "Airfare + Travel Coupon (worth ¥ 60), Air Accident Insurance (up to ¥ 1,000,000), Gift Card (¥ 30) (Optional), Coupons can be used to Ctrip pre-paid prepaid scenic spot ticket products, but the use of limited, can not be at the same time and other benefits at the same time; gift card is applicable to pay Ctrip Hotel prepaid hotels, hotel preferences, buy products and travel holiday products.

However, although it is a travel package, but in fact this is not the discount air tickets, or even higher than the airline official website prices. The ticket fee disputes arising from the ticket, if the purchase from the airline needs 970 yuan, including 860 yuan face value and 110 yuan airport construction costs and fuel surcharges, if you need a refund will be less than 10% of the face value, that is, you can return 884 yuan; but this travel package can only get back 584 yuan.

An industry source told reporters that Ctrip this approach has two problems, one ticket fare increase, in fact, the ticket is 860 yuan, Ctrip is 947 yuan; second is the high cost of refund, the provisions of the normal airline ticket Ctrip and Did not follow.

However, the above said, although it seems that these two issues, but if the package travel coupons come in, the package becomes a travel package, rather than a single ticket, since it is the product, the re-sign and Some other provisions must follow the product design line to go, rather than the plane ticket signed back.

Ctrip site, a random search on July 17 Chengdu to Beijing, the search results show that only 34 of the flight information 2 no travel package label, most of the marked "package cancellation fee and change the fee are in accordance with Travel package price 90%; there is no support for changes and unsubscribe package instructions. "There is no separate list of tickets listed on the retreat signed.

According to Ctrip's previous response to CCTV, the travel package stipulates that a refund of up to 30% of the price of a travel package will be refunded 2 hours prior to departure for the flight package; the flight will be refunded within 2 hours after departure (including 2 hours) and 40 %.

However, the fees charged for the high refund, Ctrip responds that it is in line with the provisions of the ticketing agents, has nothing to do, Ctrip did not participate in the division.

It is noteworthy that, Ctrip's travel packages behind the product will be marked "agent" word, which means that such products are provided by the agents, whether low fares or high fares Ctrip participate in which coupons, etc., and Not divided.

"Ctrip this claim is also reliable." An industry source told reporters that "Ctrip complaints on air tickets are from the open platform to the small dealers only."

The end of 2013, Ctrip quietly open platform, sales of some travel products or ticket products. Whether it is searching for travel products or ticket products will have a "proxy" label, consumers can compare. Ctrip previously also said the future in this platform business partners will reach thousands. And Ctrip and settled in the platform of the business model adopted by the "commission model", charge for product sales commission.

"In fact, Ctrip agents took the airline ticket back to rebates, commission model is the case." The above said, "So the high cost of refund Ctrip can not get."

However, adding a small agent platform allows Ctrip management costs increase, after April there had been friends said the order of 1512 yuan tickets were dropped to 840 yuan ticket, after verified as a third-party ticket on behalf of illegal operations caused by Ctrip Also punished.

"No way, Ctrip does not open the platform, so that consumers always think it's air tickets and travel than where to go expensive, but after the opening is bound to face such a risk." The above said.

Hidden rules in the industry

"In fact, this low-cost trap originated in the parity platform, where the net can not be apart from their own"

However, this Ctrip event is not "lonely", or that is, throughout the OTA industry, unspoken rules rather than ctrip cases.

Ctrip is in the travel package refund costs increase, and where to network OTA platform, it is through the "machine + wine" package to achieve. A set of packages including China Eastern's round-trip airfare, which departed from Beijing on July 25 to Kunming on July 25 and returned on July 27, showed that the fare refund for return flights was 7 days prior to the departure date of 7 days Cancel the positioning will be subject to 40% refund fee; 7 days to take off 2 hours before the cancellation of 80% of the booking fee; Within 2 hours after takeoff and take-off is not allowed to refund; and change is two hours before take-off is charged 30% 50% of the actual face value is charged within and after.

An industry source said "In fact, this low-cost trap originated in the parity platform, many ticket agents in the platform for sales, in order to increase sales and access to airline commissions rebate, but in many sales agents want to stand out, The low price is undoubtedly a good way to attract customers, but there may be a trap behind the low price. The high refund fee is one of them. "

Moreover, the airline's commission is gradually reduced, just in early July, the airline also separately commission, for the small agents, the day more sad. "Under the downward trend in commissions, there are loopholes that can not be offset by the fact that other remedies are hard to survive without using other means of information asymmetry, and because platform monitoring can not be found anytime, anywhere." Said. "And coupled with the click-through costs of the platform and none other than the price war at the other time, agents have little profit and can only make money by a refund fee. Agents and even make money by the withdrawal rate."

In accordance with industry statistics, the ticket refund rate is generally below 5%, low prices to attract tourists, and then sign a refund or refuse to sign refund to earn a refund fee has become one of the means. Earlier exposure of fare sales, bundling and other ticket violations operating behavior, however, but as time goes by and event heat, ultimately ultimately nothing.

"Now that the Internet is so developed, ticket prices for airlines and agents are so transparent that it is not possible for an ultra-low ticket to appear, so be sure to check out the rules when it comes to buying cheap tickets." An agent said .