Trouble with online hotel and flight booking! Carefully check contract details such as conditions for cancellation by yourself

After the COVID-19 restrictions were removed, people have a greater opportunity to travel. Local consumer affairs centers and the like across Japan received an increasing number of inquiries and complaints about online travel booking (e.g. use of online travel agents). The number of the cases in fiscal 2022 was about twice as many as that in fiscal 2021.

Although online booking is convenient, there may be some conditions for cancellation (e.g. "Cancellation fee is 100 percent of the price"). Even if a website is written in Japanese, the site may be run by a foreign company. You may experience unexpected trouble if you don't check contract details and a customer helpline before booking online.

Therefore, NCAC decided to share some cases and notes for online travel booking.

Diagram: Number of cases related to online travel booking² registered with PIO-NET¹

Cases amounted to 4,600 in fiscal 2018, 6,198 in fiscal 2019, 4,742 in fiscal 2020, 2,306 in fiscal 2021 and 4,488 in fiscal 2022.
The percentage of cases related to online travel booking among the total travel cases accounted for 49.7% in fiscal 2018, 49.9% in fiscal 2019, 49.4% in fiscal 2020, 46.1% in fiscal 2021 and 51.9% in fiscal 2022.

1. ¹ PIO-NET is a database that collects information on inquiries concerning consumer affairs by linking NCAC with local consumer affairs centers and similar organizations across Japan via an online network.
2. ²"Cases related to online travel booking" is a part of the total travel cases and include those related to the national travel subsidy program started in October 2022. The total travel cases include those related to domestic or international package tours (including study abroad programs), travel agent services (e.g. arrangement of railway tickets and hotels), passenger transport services (e.g. flight and railway services) and hotels. Cases related to online travel booking amounted to 1,125 at the end of July 2023 (840 at the same period a year ago) and accounted for 50.2 percent of the total travel cases (47.8 percent at the same period a year ago).

Sample Cases

Although I want to correct a flight order, the online travel agent said, "You need to cancel the order and place a new order instead. We can't refund a canceled air ticket."

I booked an international flight on a travel booking site run by a Japanese company. Later I found that I had entered my given name and family name in reverse order. When I called the online travel agent to correct the data, the agent said, "You need to cancel the order and place a new order. We can't refund a canceled air ticket as prescribed by the terms of use." It was my fault, but do I have to pay twice because of the slight mistake? I'm unhappy about it.

Other cases

• I booked a hotel on the hotel's official site. One week before the scheduled date, I requested a cancellation. The hotel said, "The cancellation fee will be 100 percent of the room rate."
• I booked and cancelled a hotel and a flight on a travel booking site. I was charged a flight cancellation fee, although there was no cancellation fee for the hotel.
• Although my booked flight was canceled, the unused ticket was not fully refunded. I inquired the online travel agent and the flight company, but my request was not addressed.
• I emailed to an online travel agent to request a refund. The agent just replied "We will reply you within 24 hours."

Characteristics and problems highlighted by the cases

• If terms of use state "Cancellation fee is 100 percent of the price," there will be no refund.
• Even if you booked a flight and a hotel at the same time, conditions for cancellation may be different for each.
• If you get in trouble from using a travel booking site, you may not know which company you should talk to. Even if you request something, your request may not be addressed properly.
• If a travel booking site is run by a foreign company, it may be difficult to communicate with the company.
• If a travel booking site is run by a foreign company, it may be difficult to negotiate with the company based on Japanese laws.

Advice for consumers

• Before completing the order, carefully read terms and conditions (e.g. conditions for cancellation).
• After placing an order, check a confirmation email and your account page. Save the data so that you can inquire your travel agent smoothly.
• Before using a travel booking site, check the site operator's information.
• In case of trouble or concern, consult your local consumer affairs center.

In case of trouble with a company outside Japan, you can consult the problem with the Cross-border Consumer center Japan (CCJ) through the online form on the NCAC's website.