Not happy ... Delayed or cancelled flights are among the biggest gripes Australian consumers have when on holiday. Picture: Supplied. Source: News Corp Australia
DISGRUNTLED Australian holiday-makers are fed with being slammed with hidden booking fees and being left with delayed or cancelled flights.
About 70 per cent of travellers said they had experienced consumer problems while going on holiday in the past year.
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Consumer watchdog Choice’s spokesman Tom Godfrey said a common complaint was online booking sites going on a “fee frenzy.”
Caught out ... Screens timing out before traveller can finalise a booking purchase is a common problem. Picture: Supplied. Source: ThinkStock
“People are still getting caught out with online booking sites with fees and when screens time out,’’ he said.
“These online check-outs offer up a free frenzy for these accommodation providers or airlines, so it’s not surprising to see airlines are zeroing in on drip pricing.
“When consumers go into that online environment and go into a check-out they are served up all sorts of things from carbon offsets to car hire, right through to the obligatory credit card surcharge.”
Hidden costs ... Travellers are not happy when extra costs get added throughout the booking process. Picture: Supplied. Source: ThinkStock
Drip pricing is when customers are given a headline price at the beginning of an online purchasing process and then extra fees and charges are added on before the final check-out resulting in the consumer paying a higher price than the advertised rate.
The new research by Choice found among travellers the most common consumers problems included booking online (26 per cent), flight issues (24 per cent), transport woes (taxis, buses and trains — 19 per cent) and problems booking with a travel agent (18 per cent).
Excessive mobile phone charges while travelling overseas (17 per cent), car hire costs (14 per cent) and accommodation problems were also common issues (14 per cent.)
Spoiler ... Flight delays or cancellations are another common problems ruining Aussies’s vacations. Picture: Supplied. Source: ThinkStock
Comparison website Canstar’s spokeswoman Justine Davies said more than 750,000 Australians head overseas every month and having travel insurance was the key way to holiday horrors.
“Take out travel insurance as soon as you’ve booked your holiday so that you’re covered straight away,’’ she said.
“If your flight is delayed or cancelled, travel insurance can provide the peace of mind that you can still afford the trip, plus it’s the cheapest part of the holiday.”
Canstar data shows for a couple on a 10-day trip to Bali the average travel insurance premium costs $146 and premiums to other countries including the US range around $228.
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