Recently, some netizens reported on social platforms that after buying a train ticket on the 12306 platform, they actually had to charge a handling fee when changing the ticket, which made them feel very puzzled.
In the past, the public had the impression that a handling fee would only be charged if there was a refund within a week to 24 hours before the departure date, so why is there a charge for even changing the ticket now?
Many netizens questioned the change fee charged for train tickets. Source: A social platform
Many netizens said, "In the past, there was never a handling fee for rebooking, unless the changed ticket price had to make up for the part higher than the original price." It's a bit annoying to change trains that are not higher than the original ticket price! "The change is not a refund, why is there a handling fee?"
By querying the 12306 APP, it was found that the platform has clear provisions on the rules for the collection of change fees, and adopts the tiered fee rules:
1. No change fee will be charged if the change is made more than 48 hours before the departure time of the station on the ticket, or if the train is changed less than 48 hours before the departure date of the ticket, or if the train is changed before 24:00 on the same day after the departure of the ticket.
2. More than 24 hours but less than 48 hours before departure, 5% of the face value of the low-fare ticket before and after the change.
3. Less than 24 hours before departure, 15% of the face value of the low-fare ticket before and after the change.
4. Before 24 o'clock on the same day, 40% of the face value of the low-fare ticket before and after the change.
Source: 12306APP
Why does 12306 charge a change fee?
A customer service at 12306 told reporters on the 16th, "Mainly for the sake of passengers." In the past, it was common for passengers to miss the train, resulting in a waste of tickets. Now you can change your ticket directly to a ticket that is on the same day. ”
Subsequently, the reporter consulted another customer service of 12306, and she said that the change rules were mainly at the request of the majority of passengers. "Because the previous change rules were that you can't change the date of the ride later, but now you can change the date later, which is the biggest change, but the change fee will be charged."
Previously, there was news on the Internet that the 12306 customer service responded to this move in order to crack down on scalpers hoarding and refund loopholes. The refund loophole refers to the fact that some people who need to refund their tickets but want to save on handling fees will opportunistically change the original ticket to a ticket with a lower fare, and then process the refund. However, both agents denied this claim.
In fact, the new 12306 rebooking rules came into effect on January 15 this year. This time, the scope of ticket changes has been expanded, and passengers can change their tickets during the presale period before and after driving.
Source: 12306 official website
In this regard, some netizens think that it is not cost-effective to change the handling fee, and sometimes it is not clear how much to deduct and how to deduct it. Some netizens also believe that after the change fee is charged this time, there are more choices in the scope and time of the change, and it is more convenient to travel. After the introduction of the new regulations, you can change the ticket within 48 hours of the original ticket driving time, and even change the ticket during the pre-sale period.
Source: Jiupai News, Changjiang Cloud News, Zhongxin Jingwei
Editor: Zhang Jing