High punishment for a well -known travel agency. Poles flew with him, among others to Egypt
The President of UOKiK imposed a penalty on Exim Tours. It has been shown that the travel agency violated the interests of consumers.
The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection reacted to signals regarding irregularities in contracts concluded with tourists by the Exim Tours Travel Bureau. The tour operator operating on the Polish market for over 30 years was to introduce a modification in the conditions of trips that customers had no idea about, and then charge fees for giving up them. The changes concerned, among others Unlawful accommodation in another hotel, as well as the lack of expected amenities, such as a swimming pool or air conditioning. The government administration body imposed a 20 million penalty on the company, but the company does not agree with the decision.
UOKiK: Exim Tours misled clients
Poles have been traveling with Exim Tours for over 30 years. The office’s offer includes popular directions such as Egypt, Greece or Tunisia, and recently Bahrain, which the tour operator has introduced to the offer as the first in Poland. So far, tourists have attracted particularly lower prices than other leading rest organizers. Unfortunately, as the UOKiK proved, numerous irregularities were behind an attractive facade.
In response to numerous complaints of injured, the state authority conducted proceedings that showed that Exim violated the collective interests of its clients. It comes, among others for the introduction of unilateral modifications in the conditions of trips, which participants were unaware. The office could therefore change the hotel during the duration of the contract or not comply with the obligation to provide amenities such as a swimming pool or air conditioning. As we read in the justification, the tour operator representatives did not inform their consumers about the possibility of a non -cost termination of the contract, and “they were misleading them as to the conditions for the justification for the amount of the fee for withdrawal from the contract.”
Documents signed by tourists did not contain a clause regarding the possibility of modifying the terms of the contract. In the face of the introduced changes of a significant nature (for example, accommodation at a hotel at another resort), the office did not inform tourists about the possibility of a non -cost withdrawal from the contract, instead proposing to exchange holidays for a voucher. “Such action was misleading consumers by using procedures that encouraged to accept the proposed change or to choose vouchers instead of obtaining a return in cash,” argues UOKiK.
Exim Tours will fight
UOKiK decision obliging Exim Tours to pay PLN 20 million penalty is not final. According to TVN24, the company does not agree with the position and intends to appeal against the decision. If it fails, the company will have to inform its clients about this provision, as well as return the fees charged for withdrawal from the contract. The request to return funds will also be demanded by those who chose vouchers or another office trip.
