Beauty prepayment losses hit S$1.9m in first half of 2026, nearly 18 times higher than a year ago: CASE

“Consumers should carefully review contracts, seek clarification on warranty coverage and fees, and keep proper records before committing,” he said. 

For car-sharing services, CASE has worked with the Land Transport Authority to introduce the CaseTrust accreditation scheme, which gives consumers a clearer reference point when choosing an operator.

TRAVEL

About 36.9 per cent of complaints against the travel industry involved delays or refusals in processing refunds, while 17.3 per cent concerned businesses failing to honour confirmed bookings or agreed travel arrangements.

The airline industry received 192 complaints in the first half of 2026, up 19.3 per cent from 161 in the same period last year. The complaints largely involved refunds, cancellations and changes to flight itineraries.

“The rise in complaints against the travel and airline industries comes amid recent air travel disruptions caused by geopolitical tensions and changes to flight schedules,” said CASE, adding that such conditions increased the likelihood of cancellations, itinerary changes and other service disruptions.

Among complaints involving online travel agents, delayed, refused or withheld refunds accounted for the largest share at 39.3 per cent.

Another 17.6 per cent involved businesses failing to honour confirmed bookings or agreed travel arrangements. These included cases where hotels did not recognise confirmed bookings or refused check-in despite consumers having valid booking vouchers.

Misleading claims accounted for a further 10.1 per cent of complaints.

Mr Yong advised consumers to carefully review refund, cancellation and change policies and understand whether they were dealing directly with an airline or hotel or with an online travel agent.

“We also encourage consumers to purchase comprehensive travel insurance with adequate coverage for trip cancellations, delays and disruptions,” he said.