As the Taipei International Travel Fair begins tomorrow, the Consumer Protection Commission yesterday said that consumers should take precautions when shopping for gift certificates or package deals and to scrutinize contract terms.
Every year, thousands flock to the annual travel fair, where consumers shop for bargain deals on everything from hotel buffet meals to flight tickets and group tours all over the world. However, the commission reminds consumers to be alert for deals that have unfair terms and conditions in order to avoid getting into disputes.
The commission said statistics showed that there have been as many as 302 consumer disputes arising from bankruptcies of travel and tourism-related companies since last year. Goods and services that were not as advertised resulted in 59 consumer disputes, followed by disagreements over refunds (40 cases) and disputes regarding delivery of contracts (26 cases).
The best way to avoid getting into consumer disputes with travel agencies is to take precautions such as checking that the company is legitimate and whether salespeople are wearing staff identification tags, commission section chief Wu Cheng-hsueh (吳政學) said.
When purchasing gift certificates for meals, hotel accommodation, hot springs or transportation at the travel fair, it is important to check the terms and conditions, such as whether there are limitations on when the voucher can be used, he said.
Gift certificates that are purchased, rather than given away as part of promotional events, must not have expiration dates, limits to certain locations or other restrictions, Wu said.
The commission has also requested the cooperation of the Tourism Bureau to conduct inspections on whether travel agencies’ contracts for package deals and other products are in line with requirements in standard travel contracts.
Those who have tourism-related consumer disputes can report the incident by calling the 1950 hotline or filing a complaint report with the commission at its official Web site.
The fair will feature more than 1,200 booths from 60 countries. It will be held at Exhibition Hall 1 of the Taiwan World Trade Center until Monday.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
RSS