Agoda Fined Over 2.4 Billion Won for Concealing "Non-Refundable" Flight Policies

In May, a consumer booked a flight from Seoul to Tokyo, Japan, through the online travel platform Agoda.

When the customer attempted to cancel the reservation the following day due to personal reasons, they were informed by Agoda that the ticket was "non-refundable."

[Victim: They told me that according to the refund policy, a refund is not possible. When I called the airline, they said there is no such thing as a case where a refund is impossible.]

The Korea Communications Commission (KCC), which launched an investigation into the matter, determined that Agoda had effectively hidden refund information on its website.

The notice stating that "cancellation and changes are difficult" only appears after a user clicks on the "Baggage Allowance Policy" menu, which is unrelated to refunds.

During the hotel booking process, the imposition of additional fees was not properly disclosed.

For "pay later" options, an additional fee of up to 5% is applied; however, this information was displayed in small print and was not reflected in the current price shown to users.

The KCC also pointed out that Agoda's promotional slogan, "Book with ease," was inappropriate.

The KCC, which has been conducting a fact-finding investigation since September 2024, has imposed a fine of 2.424 billion won on Agoda for these practices.

[Kim Mi-jeong / Director of Broadcasting Market Investigation Division, Korea Communications Commission: We determined that this was a violation of the Telecommunications Business Act because they failed to properly notify users of matters that are highly significant to them.]

According to the Korea Consumer Agency, the number of damage relief applications filed against Agoda increased nearly fivefold from 131 in 2022 to 620 in 2024.

The KCC stated that as flight and hotel bookings rise during the vacation season, it will respond with a zero-tolerance policy toward platforms that infringe upon the rights of users to make informed choices.

Reported by Bae Junu | Video by Kim Jong-tae | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.