ACCC steps up advice

THE Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has updated its advice for travel consumers, providing additional information to help manage holiday expectations around COVID travel restrictions.

The advice includes what consumers should know about cancellations made via thirdparty booking sites, namely that customers need to seek a refund via the site directly in the event of bookings falling through due to government restrictions.

New ACCC guidance also includes what travellers should do before making any bookings, such as checking the individual terms and conditions for each brand’s website to see if refunds apply to their travel dates, specifically highlighting the need to check for any “force majeure clause”, i.e. what happens if the booking cannot proceed for reasons outside of both the customer’s and the business’s control, such as snap border restrictions.

The industry watchdog also warns consumers to be wary of businesses selling “risk free” or “100% refund guarantee” deals, claiming these “may misrepresent” their right to claim a refund for cancelled travel.

AFTA has welcomed the new range of consumer advice, citing increased dialogue between the industry body and the ACCC as one of the drivers for the new suite of recommendations.

“Following a presentation to ACCC in Nov 2020, AFTA presented a detailed paper with some suggestions to the ACCC,” said CEO Darren Rudd.

“We are very pleased to see the ACCC have now updated their website with key additions that will assist travel agents by providing consumers with a more balanced and realistic approach to manage their travel, particularly in terms of refunds.” See the full list of advice HERE. MEANWHILE AFTA will host an interactive webinar for members with the ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard in either Feb or Mar.