Ban on Overbooking - Category: Regulation, Area of Effect: Consumer Protection
Concerned that the practice of overbooking, which effectively constitutes selling the same product or service twice, could set a permanent precedent for those industries most complicit in its practice (such as airliness and high-end restaurants, for which reservations are almost always required) if it carries on for any longer than it already has,
Disgusted that overbooking not only increases the profit of certain businesses at the expense of consumers who have been directly victimised by their inability to claim services offered by those businesses, but can also cause great distress to other consumers who have been unable to claim these services for reasons other than overbooking,
Aware that overbooking can - and does - affect individuals of all social strata, and is indeed widely perceived as an unethical practice, and
Seeking to abolish the scourge of overbooking once and for all,
The General Assembly hereby:
- defines, for the purposes of this resolution:
- "overbooking" as the practice of a company offering goods and services to more consumers than they can feasibly serve, in the expectation that some of those consumers will voluntarily decline such offers, and
- "relevant companies" as all companies in member states which provide services relating to hospitality, healthcare, tourism, and real estate to consumers in member states,
- "overbooking" as the practice of a company offering goods and services to more consumers than they can feasibly serve, in the expectation that some of those consumers will voluntarily decline such offers, and
- requires member states to:
- ban all relevant companies within their jurisdiction from engaging in overbooking, and
- penalise all companies that engage in illegal overbooking,
- ban all relevant companies within their jurisdiction from engaging in overbooking, and
- recommends that members forbid all companies within their jurisdiction, even if they are not relevant businesses, from engaging in overbooking, and
- further recommends that members inform all individuals within their jurisdiction about overbooking, how it can be avoided, and how to report businesses in violation of Articles 2(a) and (if necessary) 3 of this resolution.
Co-authored with Tinhampton.
The new draft has been co-authored by Tinhampton. The old draft can be found below:
Edit 1 - changed clause 4
Edit 2 - Added additional content
Edit 3 - moved clause 5 to the preamble
Edit 4 - added to the list of industries auctions and home sale
Edit 5 - Converted Clause 4's objectives to a list
Edit 6 - Draft co-authored by Tinhampton
Edit 7 - After four days, the draft has been placed in Last Call. A 48-hour window will be imposed for any last-minute changes.
Edit 8 - Cognizant of its very flawed nature of existence, this idea has been officially scrapped. Public support was non-existent.