Low-cost carriers in Taiwan have been asked to address some of the major complaints filed against them, particularly regarding ticket refunds caused by flight changes.
The request was made at a meeting on Thursday last week between the Civil Aeronautics Administration and representatives of 19 budget airlines offering flights in Taiwan, following an increase in the number of complaints about the services provided by the carriers.
According to the administration, a majority of the complaints are about refunds, changes in flight reservations and errors in booking systems.
The administration said budget airlines have been asked to inform their passengers as soon as possible in case of flight changes or cancelations, adding that the carriers should clarify the procedures that should be followed if passengers ask for refunds or request to change their tickets when their flights are canceled.
The administration said budget carriers often offer discount tickets to attract passengers and abnormalities in ticketing systems are likely to occur when there is a surge in Web traffic that could overload the system’s service capacity. As such, consumers might experience system errors when they try to purchase tickets or would simply be unable to enter the system to book tickets, the administration said.
To avoid disputes arising from the booking process, the administration said that budget airlines should conduct stress tests to see if their ticketing systems can withstand surges in online traffic, adding that the results of the stress tests could help them determine if they should expand the bandwidth of their online systems.
The carriers have been asked by the administration to disclose the clauses in their service agreements pertaining to the items that can be transported and their limitations. It has also demanded that carriers increase the number of customer service personnel to handle complaints in extraordinary cases.
The carriers have also been asked to be more lenient and flexible in handling requests for refunds or changes in flight reservation if there is a major international event that might cause people to cancel their trips, it said.
The administration added that the Web pages of the carriers must have Chinese versions and they should have Mandarin-speaking customer service representatives handling complaints from Taiwanese customers.
Aside from customer protection officers in local governments, people can file complaints through a toll-free hotline: 0811-211-798 or via e-mail to gencaa@mail.caa.gov.tw.
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