If you’re someone who has frequently used online travel platforms frequently, you must have noticed some dubious patterns when booking hotels or flights. It can be as subtle as a change in price just as you were about to book or finding out about hidden charges that significantly impact your budget. There is no denying that many platforms use such pricing. A survey by LocalCircles found that 67 per cent of consumers face such dark practices.
67% People Face Dark Practices On Travel Platforms: Survey
According to a survey conducted by LocalCircles, three out of every four people have experienced dark practices like price manipulation, hidden charges, or misleading ads that create a false sense of urgency in the consumer. The survey received responses from more than 33,000 people across India. These people were from as many as 323 districts.
Around 63 per cent of the respondents were male and 37 per cent were female. 47 per cent of the respondents were from tier one cities, 33 per cent of responses were from tier two cities and the rest of the 20 per cent were from tier three and tier four cities as well as from rural areas. The survey gave insight into the frequency of dark practices that consumers encountered online.
The LocalCircles website defined dark practices as any that are intended to manipulate the decision-making of a consumer through misleading or deceptive advertising, creating unnecessary fear to maintain membership. It asked three questions in the survey poll which asked respondents to indicate the frequency with which such practices are witnessed by consumers.
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Other Important Insights From The Survey
The first question asked respondents how often the price of a particular flight or hotel fluctuated or increased if they searched multiple times in one session. The question got 11,001 responses and 73 per cent of the respondents answered with ‘very frequently. The second question was how often they encounter platforms using a false sense of urgency.
74 per cent of respondents replied with ‘very frequently.’ Finally, the survey asked how often they encountered hidden charges which added to the final cost. 67 per cent answered with ‘very frequently.’ It is important to note that India has banned the use of dark practices that are intended to manipulate the choices of consumers.
Yet, such practices are evidently very prevalent in India today. As the survey shows, as many as 70 per cent of the people who were surveyed have faced this.
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Have you ever been a victim of such dark practices? How do you think this problem can be solved? What are some hacks that you use to avoid being charged higher? Let us know in the comments section below!
Click here to learn more about the survey.
Cover Image Credits: Canva Images
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