Denmark will propose that travel agencies during the corona crisis must provide a credit for canceled holidays.
If it is up to the Danish people, then you will no longer be able to get your money back if your travel agency cancels your package trip.
A broad majority, having agreed on direct government subsidies of many hundreds of millions of dollars to the Danish travel industry, also decided that they would seek EU support to temporarily amend the Package Travel Directive.
As the rules are today, via EU rules you are entitled to get your money back within 14 days if your package tour is canceled.
Denmark will now propose in the EU that travel agents during the corona crisis must provide a voucher – a so-called voucher – that is valid for 18 months.
If the consumer still wants to get his money back, it can happen after a year.
– A voucher scheme could ensure that travel companies are not drained of liquidity because they have to reimburse a large number of journeys at a critical time, but can instead issue a voucher, says a note in connection with the new agreement.
Consumer Council: Voucher scheme creates uncertainty
At the Consumer Council Think, you are glad that the Folketing has succeeded in landing a broad agreement that can hold its hand during the travel industry. However, the tone is quite different when the speech deals with a voucher scheme.
– Many consumers are hard pressed in the current situation and one’s economy can look quite different and affect one’s opportunities to travel. Of course, you should be able to trust that the rights you had when booking your trip also apply when the crisis strikes and things go wrong. This is precisely why we have our legal rights, says President Anja Philip.
This helps keep a handful of some travel companies that can avoid bankruptcy, and then consumers can get their money back after a year. Why isn’t that a good idea?
– We must be able to count on the fact that an agreement is an agreement: When you bought the trip, you had the right to get the money back immediately if canceled. Of course, it should not be able to change retrospectively, says Anja Philip of the Consumer Council Think and continues:
– If we cannot trust that we have our rights, then we become insecure as consumers and reluctant to act. Therefore, it is probably also the few who will go out and book a new trip if they do not have confidence that their fundamental rights are in place if the company cancels at that time. That way, it can hurt all parties in the long run.
