System Error: €50 Round-Trip Tickets to Rhodes Canceled, Consumer Commission Sides with Tour Operator
An Ida-Virumaa resident bought airline tickets to Rhodes for €50 from Tez Tour, but the booking was canceled minutes later. The consumer disputes commission ruled the transaction invalid due to a system error.
Oleg Sokolov, a resident of Ida-Virumaa, purchased round-trip airline tickets to the Greek island of Rhodes from tour operator Tez Tour's website for €50. After receiving a booking confirmation, the order was canceled within minutes, and the company promised a refund.
Sokolov contacted Tez Tour asking for the reason behind the cancellation. The company replied that the price was incorrect and such tickets did not exist. Sokolov argued that the booking had been confirmed, so he considered the deal valid. He noted that Tez Tour had previously offered similar low prices, such as €79 round-trip to Sharm el-Sheikh in winter, but that was a last-minute deal, while his case was deemed an error.
Tez Tour declined further comment, referencing an official decision by the Consumer Protection Department. Veiko Kopamees, head of the secretariat of the Consumer Disputes Commission, explained that the commission has handled similar disputes before. If the error is obvious and understandable to an average consumer, the seller may withdraw from the contract. In this case, the commission found that the price was a system error during testing, so no contract was concluded.
Sokolov still has the option to take the matter to court, but the high costs may make it impractical.
