Jerry Conner

The problem
How Agoda hides the truth
If Agoda were to show checked baggage allowances honestly
Summary: Disappointment in Agoda and t'way Air
Disclaimer: Don't blame the workers
Agoda's response: Prompt, but mumbo f'ing jumbo
Post shared with...

The Problem: Agoda and t'way Air Destroying Concept of Roundtrip Flight: Checked Baggage Scam

I regret to report that Agoda and t'way Air are greedily destroying the concept of a roundtrip flight. Everybody knows what a roundtrip flight is: You and your luggage depart from an airport on an airline's airplane, and some time later, you and your luggage return to that same airport on that same airline's airplane.

Some bad people at Agoda and t'way Air have come up with a new scam, wherein they blow up the reasonable assumption that the luggage allowance for your returning flight is, of course, the same as the luggage allowance for your departing flight. Using Bangkok to Incheon roundtrip as an example, they have unilaterally decided to allow 15kg of luggage on your departing flight and 0kg of luggage on your return flight.

Of course, you don't know this or expect this. It is deliberately kept secret from you when you are buying your ticket on Agoda.

Ticket-wise, how they do it is they actually sell you two one-way tickets. You think you're getting a roundtrip flight like you always do. But, nope. They've redefined the concept of a roundtrip flight, and the only way you'll know is if you happen to burrow deep into what are labeled as "airline codes."

Here's Agoda's own verbiage:

Your bookings were made as a combination of two one-way tickets sold as a round-trip flight. This is a popular product with a very competitive rate.

Oh? So I thought I was buying a roundtrip ticket like I almost always do, but unbeknownst to me, I was actually buying "a combination of two one-way tickets sold as a round-trip flight" that I've never heard of in my life until now (20231027)...

Am I supposed to view this new scam with admiration? I do not. It lowers us all, while violating fundamental principles of online communication, especially for an international customer base. That is, it makes the simple (a roundtrip flight is a roundtrip flight) into something complex (a roundtrip flight IS a roundtrip flight UNLESS it is a combination of two one-way tickets sold as a roundtrip flight).

Indeed, it even confuses the meaning of what's a ticket and what's a flight. I will stop here to avoid using profanity.

How Agoda Hides the Truth

The screenshot below shows how Agoda hides the fact that your returning flight checked baggage allowance is 0kg by displaying ambiguous text, possibly intended to make users think there's an information feed problem. The ambiguous text instructs you to contact the airline (cannot be reasonably contacted). You cannot reasonably contact Agoda either. They've built their website to make sure of that.

What Agoda deliberately does NOT show you is that you have 0kg checked baggage allowance for your return flight.

20231019

If Agoda were to Show Checked Baggage Allowances Honestly

If Agoda were to show checked baggage allowances honestly, they would replace their deliberately ambiguous text with clear facts as shown in red text below. That would be the right thing to do.

20231023

Summary: Disappointment in Agoda and t'way Air

I have been a frequent Agoda customer for a long time. It saddens me that they perpetrated a blatant scam on me. t'way Air was an unknown quantity. I chose them because they fly out of Don Mueang Airport instead of Suvarnabhumi Airport. I won't be using them again.

I hope you happen to see this post before the travel sites and airlines pull this same checked baggage scam on you. If I could be granted a wish for justice, it would be that the person most responsible at Agoda be fired, and the person most responsible at t'way Air be fired.

Disclaimer: Don't Blame the Workers

No disrespect is intended towards any of the workers at Agoda or t'way Air. If these companies pull scams on their customers, we can only imagine what they do to their employees. Let me sympathize greatly with the poor employees at t'way Air in Incheon Airport Terminal 1. It is their lot in life to have the horrible job of revealing the scam to blindsided passengers. What a horrible task!!!

Agoda's response: Prompt, but Mumbo F'ing Jumbo...

I submitted a case via a web form on the Agoda site on 20231024-1811. I had a coherent response with screenshots included in my Inbox by 20231024-1906. My claim that it is nearly impossible to contact Agoda was true at the time I claimed it, but the web form on the Agoda website might be a good way into customer service. It certainly worked fast in this instance.

Regarding what they wrote, well...

In regards to your Agoda Booking ID 1066767237 departing from Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN)

Greetings from Agoda!

to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK)

Passengers:
JERRY CONNER

Itinerary details:
Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) to Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) - Q75C98

Thank you for taking the time to notify us of your unsatisfactory experience with us.

We appreciate your feedback so that we can better understand your concern and we would like to explain as below to avoid misunderstanding between us and the valued customers:

Normally, the bag allowance is same when both return flights are under same the airline code. However, Your bookings were made as a combination of two one-way tickets sold as a round-trip flight. This is a popular product with a very competitive rate

Thank you for the belated notice?

I can confirm that the first time I became aware that I purchased two one-way tickets was 20231024-1906, when I received this email from you.

Agoda ID 1066767241: Flight 04 Oct DMK- ICN under the airline code C6C8LB
Agoda ID 1066767237: Flight 19 Oct DMK-ICN under the airline code Q75C98

We are aware that the booking policy is important for the passenger's reference prior making reservation so the system provides booking conditions and reminds the customer that each sector is subject to the booking and travel terms, conditions/ requirements of the airline operating that flight sector, which means the bag allowance is not always same for 2 booking C6C8LB and Q75C98.

As a frequent user of your website and mobile app, I noticed no such reminder.

We tried to make a similar booking and the website always reminds customers on bag information as per the image below. If customers accept this bag allowance, then they can provide credit card for payment to complete the booking. Please see the image below.

20231024 screenshot from Agoda, with a comments section from me.

Give Agoda and t'way Air credit for consistency.

The screenshot shows they are running the same checked baggage scam on Korean tourists flying back home from Bangkok.

As a frequent user of your website and mobile app, I noticed no such reminder.

In the confirmation email for this booking we also stated clearly the bag information and the customer could contact us before the flight if they need more help or need bag information on this issue.

Still don’t see it after spending 10 minutes reading confirmation email and its three attachments.

We deeply regret that the customer was unhappy with our service

More than “unhappy.” I feel like a fraud victim.

and did not contact us before your flight so that we can beter support you. We hope this email can explain clearly about our product and service

Let me try to understand…

First you set up your website, app, and customer support systems (e.g., automated chat) so that it is nearly impossible for an admittedly telephone-averse user to contact a human at Agoda.

Then you feign ignorance as to why a user would not contact you?

We attached a file for our hotline.

Please feel free to contact us if you have additional questions.
Thank you for choosing Agoda.

Regards,
An
Agoda Customer Experience Group

Post Shared With

In an attempt to publicize this checked baggage scam, this post has been shared with the following:

Agoda - 20231024-1811 - Submitted web form on Agoda site requesting that they review this blog post for inaccuracies.
Chris Dong, THECHRISFLYER - 20231104-1312 - Sent email to Chris Dong. Asked if obscurely selling a combination of two one-way tickets as a roundtrip ticket is a new scam.
Consumers Association of Singapore - 20231104-1403 - Submitted online complaint regarding Agoda. Reference Number is: T2023111007. Initial response received 20231106-1626. I confirmed that I have no Singapore residency status.
Korea Consumer Agency - 20231104-1332 - Emailed a link to this post and requested their review.
Korea Times - 20231024-1835 - Sent email to Reporter Park Jae-hyuk, author of T'way thrives on 'out of the box thinking' Requested that he review this blog post for inaccuracies.
Korea Tourism Organization - 20231024-1854 - Sent email to web admin for Visit Korea site requesting forwarding to appropriate employees. Requested that they review this blog post for inaccuracies.
Los Angeles Times - 20231228-2220 - Sent email to travel writer Christopher Reynolds (who has some experience travelling in Korea). Asked if obscurely selling a combination of two one-way tickets as a roundtrip ticket is a new scam.
New York Times - Tripped Up column - Seth Kugel - 20231027-2204 - Emailed a link to this blog post. Asked if "You thought you bought a roundtrip ticket, but you actually bought two one-way tickets," is a recent development (a new scam). Received coherent reply from Mr. Kugel on 20231104. (Thank you, Mr. Kugel. Keep up the good work.)
Singapore Tourism Board - 20231104-1445 - Submitted feedback via online form. Asked them to consider looking into Singapore-headquartered Agoda's underhanded business practices. Case #11-2023-04-00483554
The Points Guy - 20231104-1319 - Sent email question asking if obscurely selling a combination of two one-way tickets as a roundtrip ticket is a new scam.
t'way Air - 20231024 - Spent an hour on their website trying to find some way to contact them. Impossible. Maybe if I installed their app, but there is no way I am putting this company's app on any of my devices. Zero Trust!!!
Washington Post - 20231228-2117 - Sent email to travel writer Natalie Compton. Asked if obscurely selling a combination of two one-way tickets as a roundtrip ticket is a new scam.
YouTube - 20231228 - Posted a comment on Flying Asia's video T'WAY AIR REVIEW | Airbus A330 | TW172 Singapore To Seoul.

Thailand has no shortage of skilled and creative designers of exhibits. Headlining Terminal 21's activities this past Sunday was the Blooming Tulips Fest with Orchids Too. Plookpanya School was there with some colorful clay-making for kids, and some excellent music performances by students.

There was a big Taekwondo tournament up in the hall on the top floor. Last but not least was a small animal exhibit, including capybaras, the world's largest rodent?

It wasn't too long ago that it was very hard to drag me to a mall, with me kicking and screaming the whole time. Now you can't keep me out of there.