On 25 july, the general directorate of market supervision issued $5,179 million in antimonopoly fines for travelling (forfeiture of illegal gains, 1,658 million + fines, 3,521 million) and ordered the return of $122 million of reserve funds for hotel orders, creating a new record of economic antimonopoly sanctions on the platform. In almost the same period, the "$15,000 international airline ticket refunded only $432" continued to ferment, with a withholding rate of 97 per cent. A large number of tickets were stacked and ticket refunds were disputed, and the port of embarkation unit fell by 40 per cent. This wave has awakened all platform-based, rule-based businesses: the ability of the client to directly determine the platform's reputation after withdrawing from a complex sale。
I. A full record of 5,179 million tickets: six months of tight supervision
In january 2026, the superintendence of markets formally opened a case of alleged abuse of dominant position in the market, investigating three major disputes over the platform's compulsory "two-or-one" exclusion of hotels, high commissions, and intervention in commercial autonomy pricing。
In february, joint multi-sectoral interviews were held with the central bank, the general financial supervisory authority and six travel platforms, such as goth, focusing on financial compliance issues such as the settlement of funds and the management of prepaid fees。
In march, a joint interview of the three beijing departments explicitly criticized the platform for imposing unreasonable format clauses and technical means to limit cross-channel pricing。
In april, the central network office and the state railway service jointly interviewed the platform to regulate online ticket sales and information presentations。
In june, the three ministries of the directorate-general for market supervision, the central network office and the state railway service again conducted joint interviews. In the same month, the shanghai city council, on its behalf, imposed a fine of $10 million for travelling on account of data compliance issues。
On july 25th, the ticket was officially dropped: a sum of $5,179 million was awarded for the alleged misuse of a dominant position in the market, and an order was issued for the return of the hotel order reserve of $122 million - i don't know. This is our first case of antimonopoly in online tourism and one of the highest rates of fines in the platform's economy。
Ii. Fees for the refund of the price of the day: a far more dramatic storm of public opinion than a ticket
The ticket is a heavy hammer for supervision, and the one that really pushes the journey to the top is the refund of a ticket。
In july this year, the consumer, mr. Lin, made an international flight reservation for beijing to new york at a total cost of $1521. As a result of a sudden change in itinerary, he applied for a refund three days before take-off, and only $432 was returned after the system settlement — almost $148,000 was withheld as a refund fee, which was 97 per cent。
The ticket purchase page is marked in a very small corner "only part of the tax is refundable", and mr. Lin mistakenly believes that 400 is only a routine fee. After repeatedly contacting the client service for no return, he sought financial assistance for disclosure and the incident quickly blew up the entire network. After the fermentation of public opinion, the remaining balance of $14,700 was fully refunded in two instalments。
But things are far from over:
On august 1st, in view of the financial tracking report, the trip claimed that the "upgrading of the refund system" was a mere reminder, that the rule of high refund fees remained unchanged; and that mr. Lin's full refund caused the division's strong displeasure and questioned its monopoly base of "my rules"。
On 3 august, the reimbursement fee for united nations flights was increased by $40 a day, depending on the facts, to support the high rule. On the same day, the capital of the port of port of transit collapsed。
On august 13, according to the latest reports, large amounts of fines and refunds have dropped by 40 per cent, and many agencies have adjusted their profit projections。
Iii. Three release of the revision: the hospital hospital hospital responsible one: the corrective rules are not corrective
Mr. Lin's encounter was essentially a double failure of "rules of opacity plus client confusion". The small note on the ticket purchase page is a dead letter, and when the client is consulted on the refund, he or she is not informed of the deduction rules in a proactive, clear and complete manner。
Map to the electrician: your rules for the return of goods, price security, subsidy rules. The difference between the consumer knowing himself and the actual rules is the source of complaints and criticism。
Revelation two: you make the rules and you have the power of interpretation
The "rules of the journey" are my bottom, coming from a monopoly. Ordinary traders do not have a monopoly position, but many stores are also using the "default tick" clause to pass the rule. Once a dispute breaks out, the client's services are poorly explained and negotiated, the first reaction of the consumer is to complain about the platform + poor assessment + exposure。
Consumers don't understand you because of the complexity of the rules. They just forgive you for their professional service。
Revelation iii: case-by-case, most revealing of the team
Mr. Lin was able to refund the full amount, not by fair rules, but by looking at the exposure + the heat. Netizens say that without media follow-up, the vast majority of consumers have to consider themselves unlucky. This phenomenon of "distribution" illustrates the fact that most merchants' services deal with complex disputes without a standard process or a bottom-up mechanism。
Iv. Three ways of problem, who's serving the problem? Option i: individual experience through client service
Complex after-sale processing is highly dependent on individual capabilities. The old customer service understands the rules and is appeased, but in the industry reality, with a 30-50 per cent separation rate, the old customer service leaves the service and the newcomers are unable to catch it. And with personal experience that cannot be replicated, the larger the store, the more complex the dispute, the less able to afford the system。
Option two: the longer the rules are written, the more the consumer sees them
The retrogression rule is written into a long article, which appears to be in compliance, while the cost of interpretation is passed on to consumers. When a dispute arises, the consumer will only be more angry if he/she follows the terms of the manifesto. Compliance is not equivalent to service, nor is the rules clear or consumer approval。
Programme iii: standardized vocabulary + hierarchical processing mechanisms
This is the practice of professional customer service:
Key advantages: the reputation is not one person, but one process。
V. Cost after complex sales: self-built vs outsourced
In the case of businesses with an annual gmv of 50 million and 800 daily consultations, with 20 per cent of complex disputes:
Dimensions
Self-built passenger service (12)
Ai+ manual outsourcing
Annual human cost
About 1. 12 million (wage + social security + management)
About 45-56 million
Complex dispute management
Reliance on individual, old-timer uniforms, bad stability
Standardized sop+ senior passenger service bottom
Rule training
Every change in rules has to be retrained
Synchronize the repository
I'll take care of it
No standard process, live on site
Crisis response sop+ upgrade mechanism
7x24 overwrite
It takes three shifts, double the cost
Mark
Annual combined cost savings
50-60 per cent
The extra cent is spent on the customer service system, with less than 10 per cent to be paid。
Is there a problem with your store
Check yourself against the following list:
Every "no" is a mine buried in your shop。
Lenk: 13 years of complicated after-sales experience, keep your mouth shut. The tablet
In the area of deep-farmer service, lenk served 50,000 + merchants and 600 + brand customers for 13 years. The 5,000-person global team is located in 43 operating centres covering 36+ platforms and 30 major items。
In response to the complex sales of the retweeting category, the leng programme:
Core data: combined costs are 50-60 per cent lower than self-constructing teams, client-action time is three times higher and client-service-related differential ratings are down by over 60 per cent。
Faq: on the four high frequency issues of outsourcing after complex sales, q1: can the outsourced passenger service handle the refund price and compensate for this sensitive dispute
Yes, and more professional. Complex disputes are essentially a combination of "rules, communication, emotions". The senior customer service of the outsourced team has been specially trained with a clear narrative and authorized boundaries. More crucially, the third-party identity of the outsourced team is easier to calm consumers down when negotiating than when a commercial offers its own services。
Q2: the rules change so much. Can you keep up with the outsourced service
This is the core capacity for outsourcing. As soon as the rules of the platform are updated, the repository and training are updated simultaneously by the entire service provider. Individual commercial self-building teams are retrained each time, while outsourced teams are reused across clients, with a high rate of renewal speed and professionalism。
Q3: how do we avoid a "coercive" emotional crisis
It's not about luck. The outsourced service provider has a standard sop: centralized complaint identification on the day, promotion on the day, response on the day, senior customer service + special compensation plan. Self-constructing teams are often in a state of panic, while specialized outsourcing is "programming and following the process"。
Q4: is it appropriate to outsource after the sale of high-priced items
Especially fit. There is a greater need for professional teams to deal with high-cost commodity disputes, high levels of emotional conflict and high costs of improper handling. Outsourced quality-checking systems, recording trails and liability-retroactive mechanisms are more risk-averse than self-building teams。
At the end
The $5,179 million ticket + a ticket refund is a classic case of "rules and reputations"。
Rules can be complex, but services must be transparent; platforms can be strong, but the reputation must be professional. For electric operators, these "complex post-sale" capacities, which are being upgraded from cost sectors to competitive barriers, are being replaced by re-exchange, price insurance and subsidies。
And when your competitors are still getting their asses kicked and their complaints, you've spent half the cost and three times the efficiency on the sale。
The emblematic moat begins with a complex sale to a professional。
The global electric power growth partner of the lenk guest service, inc., has been working for 13 years deep tilling 50,000 + merchants 600 + brand and self-studying ai’s “link sense” to learn more and to welcome private correspondence or comment areas。
