Travelers and travel agencies lament over TMON and Wemakeprice situation
Travel agencies provide guidance on cancellation and re-purchase after TMON & Wemakeprice issue
Travelers facing cancellations before summer vacation
Small and medium-sized travel agencies heavily impacted due to online sales,
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, ‘[E-Daily Kim Myeong-sang/Lee Min-ha reporter] The delay in settlement between TMON and Wemakeprice operated by Singapore’s Qoo10 Group is causing increasing damages to the travel industry and consumers. With the delay in payment of settlement funds that should be provided to sellers (airlines, travel agencies), the damages such as suspension of travel product sales and cancellations are spreading.’,
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, ‘According to the travel industry on the 24th, most travel agencies that were selling airlines, accommodations, and travel products through TMON and Wemakeprice have already halted sales of their products. Customers who reserved products are being guided to cancel the purchase and re-book the product through the agency’s website and make the payment again.’,
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, ‘An official from Mode Tour stated, “For products departing soon (by the end of this month), we are proceeding without cancellation or changes, but for products departing in August and onwards, we are guiding all customers to make payments again.”‘,
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, ‘Travelers who are on the verge of their summer vacations are in a situation where they have to bear the burden of costs twice. This is because they have not received refunds for the payments made to TMON and Wemakeprice and now have to make payments again for re-booking. Some airlines and travel agencies are taking advantage of the difficulty in canceling products departing soon and pressuring customers to re-book and re-pay. It is known that it usually takes an average of 1 to 2 weeks for refunds to be processed for products purchased with a card on online shopping malls.’,
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, ‘An official from Hana Tour mentioned, “To reduce the burden on customers, we are guiding re-booked products to maintain various discounts that were applied to the original products.”‘,
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, ‘In cases where there is not enough financial capability, many are finding themselves in a situation where they have no choice but to cancel their vacation plans. One traveler expressed, “I made a reservation for a trip to Japan through TMON, and the travel agency said if they don’t deposit the money by this afternoon, the confirmed reservation will be canceled” and “The amount is in the millions of won, but I haven’t received a refund yet so I can’t re-pay.”‘,
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, ‘The issue lies with small and medium-sized travel agencies that lack financial resources. As their sales through the platforms like TMON and Wemakeprice were higher than their own channels due to low brand awareness, if the settlement issue continues, they could face the ‘worst crisis’. Unlike large travel agencies, some small and medium-sized agencies are reported to have 80-90% of sales through TMON and Wemakeprice. If the settlement payment issue is not resolved in the next few days, they may have to consider closing down. An official from a small and medium-sized travel agency stated, “Another victim of this incident is the travel agency,” adding, “While we are handling cancellations without fees for customers who cancel after feeling anxious from purchasing on TMON and Wemakeprice, the cancellation fees paid to airlines and hotels are the responsibility of the travel agency.”‘,
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, ‘Major travel agencies have requested settlement payments from TMON and Wemakeprice until the 25th. If the settlement payments are not made by the last deadline presented, it has been reported that travel agencies like Hana Tour will suspend all product sales on TMON and Wemakeprice.’,
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