A MAN surnamed Liu who works in Shenzhen recently reported to Southern Metropolis Daily that he hasn’t received the refund for his flight ticket, from Chiang Rai in Thailand to Changsha, capital of China’s Hunan Province, bought early last year.
Liu used online platform Qunar to book his ticket Jan. 25 last year. His flight was a Lion Air flight that would have traveled Jan. 31, 2020 from Chiang Rai International Airport to Changsha Huanghua International Airport. His ticket cost 2,212 yuan (US$343.96). Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Liu decided to cancel the trip and asked for a refund.
According to Liu, he got a full refund certificate from Lion Air and then submitted the certificate to Qunar on Jan. 30, 2020. He was supposed to get a full refund for his ticket based on Qunar and Lion Air’s cancellation policies. However, up to now, Liu hasn’t received the money.
Lion Air told the Daily that the ticket order status presented by the airline this May in an email to Liu indicated that the refund had been completed Sept. 2 last year. The airline claimed it has sent the refund to the platform, while Qunar told the Daily it didn’t actually receive the money. Qunar has allegedly been delaying the refund under the pretext of Lion Air’s payment failure.
After contacting Qunar many times, Liu hasn’t yet received the money.
On Qunar’s platform, the ticket’s order status showed that the airline is processing the refund and Qunar will return the money when the refund arrives. Qunar also said that they had urged the airline to expedite refunds, but an immediate refund might not be possible.
Zhao Liangshan with Shaanxi Hengda Law Firm suggested that given different arguments, Qunar should present consumers evidence that can show a failure of payment by Lion Air.
If the airline has returned the money to Qunar, it should be Qunar’s responsibility to refund consumers. If Qunnar’s argument is verified, Lion Air should take the responsibility, Zhao said. (Wang Jingli) |