The UFC Que Choisir and the CLCV (Consumption Housing and Living Environment) announced this Monday that they had filed an appeal before the Council of State. The two consumer groups oppose a government order allowing tour operators to offer a credit, not a refund, for stays canceled due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Usually, the law requires this reimbursement. But since March 25 and the implementation of the order, tour operators and travel agencies are indeed authorized to offer their customers, whose trip has been canceled, a voucher or a credit valid 18 months. This credit will be refundable in cash after these 18 months if it has not been used. The aim of the government is to preserve the treasury of companies in the sector, in difficulty after the epidemic.
“The economic situation of certain households is fragile”
Last week, the European Commission launched an infringement procedure against ten countries, including France, to defend the right of travelers to be reimbursed.
“More than four months have passed since the first cancellations and the economic situation of some households is still fragile. It is therefore urgent to effectively allow consumers to choose reimbursement“, write the UFC Que Choisir and the CLCV.
The two associations say they refuse “cosmetic or trompe l'oeil regularization“According to them,”the travel agency sector must have access to the state-guaranteed cash credit.
It is not up to consumers to save tour operators by waiving their rights. – Press release from the UFC and the CLCV
“Several airlines, understanding the urgency to restore consumer confidence in the sector, reverse their policy of refusal of reimbursement, underline the UFC and the CLCV in a joint press release. It is not acceptable that tour operators, even after the action of the European Commission, continue to feel above the law and to bully customers. ”
The ten countries concerned by the infringement procedure have two months to respond. If they do not, the Commission may ask them to comply with European Union law. The deadline is then, generally, again two months.
— to www.francebleu.fr