Consumer Council conduct a survey on credit card additional fees charged by travel agencies

A survey on credit card additional fees charged by travel agencies has been conducted earlier by Consumer Council. Survey result shows that some agencies charge consumers an additional amount when paying with credit card. The Council states that this is against Decreto-Lei n.º 16/95/M and responsible department is working on this problem. Regarding the use of credit card and similar kinds of electronic money, Subsection 2, Section 2 of Decreto-Lei n.º 16/95/M, states that all products and services transacted within the region of Macao should be paid in MOP, and no excuses is allowed to attach any extra fee on the agreed price or transaction amount. Among the over 50 surveys received from travel agencies, over half of them are informed of Decreto-Lei n.º 16/95/M, but still over 30 per cent of these travel agencies are charging extra fees on consumers who purchase tour package, flight ticket, or hotel booking with credit card. Survey result has been sent to Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) and according to AMCM’s research, there are still quite a number of travel agencies which are not informed of, and are not complying with Subsection 2, Section 2 of Decreto-Lei n.º 16/95/M. The Macao Government Tourism Office (DST) is also informed to urge travel agencies to abide by the law and prohibit them from charging extra fees. The Council will pay close attention to travel agencies and other businesses regarding the matter of charging credit card additional charges. When choosing to pay with credit card or other means of payment instead of cash, consumers are advised to check with the travel agency on the amount to be charged prior to purchasing any travel services. According to Decreto-Lei n.º 16/95/M, consumers paying with credit card should not be charged any additional amount other than the transaction sum. Should any consumer find his or her rights interfered, he or she should bring up the case and file a complaint. Details of the survey can be found in the new Consumer Report No. 208. Due to cases of carbon monoxide intoxication caused by the misuse of flueless gas water heaters in the past, Despacho do Chefe do Executivo n.º 361/2010 was issued last year and such water heater is prohibited from import starting this January. Consumers are advised to stop using flueless gas water heater, and resources on how to choose other kinds of water heaters can be found in the current issue of Consumer Report. Consumer Report is now available free of charge at the two offices of the Consumer Council, bookstores and libraries. Consumers may also access the resources online at the Council’s official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo). For inquiries, please call 8988 9315.