Booking.com, a major travel booking site, has refunded the full fare for rides arranged through illegal ‘white taxis’, which was reported by our magazine in a previous article (as previously reported here). Responding to a complaint submitted through a Japanese form about being arranged an illegal ‘white taxi’, they replied in English asking for a detailed explanation as to ‘why would there be a complaint about the color of the taxi, and wanting to know the reasons’ (in seeking clarity). Subsequently, an email stating ‘this dispute has been resolved’ was received, along with an unexpected refund of 2,842 yen, amounting to 25% of the fare paid. Upon further inquiry, the reason for the refund was attributed to the driver’s action in providing an illegal vehicle with a ‘white license plate’.
On December 22, an email arrived in both Japanese and English from a different representative, expressing sincere apologies on behalf of Booking Transport and the local travel agency for not being able to provide the type of vehicle paid for. The email acknowledged the importance of a seamless travel experience and expressed regret for not meeting expectations, thereby issuing a refund of the remaining 75%, totaling 8,526 yen.
A representative from Booking.com commented, ‘We have started an investigation into this matter and ask for your patience until we can gather more details about the situation. (…) Ensuring customer satisfaction is our highest priority, and we strive to promptly address any such incidents when they occur. Should you have any additional details or concerns about this incident, please do not hesitate to let us know. Your input will be taken into consideration when conducting further investigations.’
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This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
