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Online platforms are ‘misleading and confusing’
Ian Taylor
ian.taylor@travelweekly.co.uk
The European Commission has identified multiple problems with online platform services such as Airbnb and Uber, highlighting confusion among consumers, failures on pricing, misleading information and “bias” in reviews.
The companies, labelled peer-
to-peer platforms and part of the ‘sharing’ or ‘collaborative’ economy, lead a sector with a €28 billion annual turnover in the EU alone. But an EC study published this
month found “significant consumer issues” including “frequent problems with transactions”, widespread confusion and misleading information on consumer rights and “lack of transparency” on pricing, and it questioned the reliability of peer- review and rating systems on sites. More than half of users (55%)
have experienced problems in the past year, with quality-of-product- or-service issues “almost twice as
frequent as in online purchases in general” – but with two-thirds of users ignorant or unsure of their rights, only a minority took action. The study singles out the two biggest platforms, Airbnb and Uber, for criticism, highlighting their lack of clarity “about whether providers act as a private person or business”. It concludes the “peer review
and ratings systems” and identity- verification practices of the sites are “neither reliable nor transparent” and casts “serious doubt” on their effectiveness. Most platforms fail to monitor
whether reviews and ratings are genuine, and the EC suggests they “may be biased”, noting: “None give information about the representativeness and reliability of reviews or ratings, although they hold data to [do so].” The study suggests almost
two-thirds of ‘providers’ on accommodation platforms own more than one property and 21% multiple properties, confirming they are dominated by second-home-
owners and commercial landlords. › Full report, page 71
Westoe Travel owner Graeme Brett and Chloe Rutherford (inset)
AAAs raise £7k for Chloe appeal
Juliet Dennis
juliet.dennis@
travelweekly.co.uk
Guests at Travel Weekly’s Agent Achievement Awards have raised a record-breaking £6,696 for the families of travel agent apprentice Chloe Rutherford and boyfriend Liam Curry, who were killed in the Manchester Arena bombing in May.
The generous donations mean the appeal has surpassed its £10,000 target. A new target of £20,000 has been set for the end of August. The money will support Chloe’s mother, who uses a wheelchair and was cared for by Chloe, along with her father, and Liam’s mother, who lost her husband four weeks before the attack. Westoe Travel owner Graeme
Brett, who was due to take on Chloe, 19, full-time at the South Shields agency last month, said: “We have upped our target because of the amazing support, particularly from the AAAs. I’m so proud to be part of the travel industry; no other industry would give such support.” The sum is thought to be the
most pledged in the event’s history. Last year, £4,000 was raised for an Abta LifeLine appeal. During the awards, Brett gave a
moving speech to the 850 guests about Chloe and showed a clip of her singing. The fundraising appeal was established by Manchester agents Ken Garrity of Ken Garrity Travel and Jill Waite of Pole Travel. On the night, Steve Byrne, chief
executive of Travel Counsellors, Alistair Rowland, Midcounties Co-operative Travel group general manager – specialist retail, and Jackie Steadman, director of TravelTime World, received the Outstanding Contribution to the Industry Award. Thomas Cook, Oasis Travel,
Hays Travel, Premier Travel and Designer Travel picked up two awards each. To donate to the charity, go to
tinyurl.com/chloe-liam › AAA photo special, pages 14-29
20 July 2017
travelweekly.co.uk 5 3 STORIES HOT
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