Even though it is for a “limited time”… further discount after that. HIS subsidiary ordered to take measures

On November 6, the Consumer Affairs Agency issued an order to HIS Mobile (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo), a subsidiary of travel giant HIS (HIS), to take measures to prevent recurrence, alleging that the website's display of discount sales violates the Act on Premiums and Representations (favorable misrepresentation).

According to the Consumer Affairs Agency, HIS Mobile will be running a ``Spring Travel Support Campaign'' from February 5, 2025 to May 8, 2025 with a rental service for Wi-Fi devices that can be carried overseas. The site displayed that if you apply for the unlimited plan during the period, you will receive a 45% discount on rental fees.

However, from May 9th, the day after the campaign ended, it was called a ``Super Summer Sale,'' and a 50% discount rate would be applied. The Consumer Affairs Agency found that the ``Spring Travel Support Campaign'' was a display that misled consumers into thinking that it would be more advantageous to apply during the campaign period.

Additionally, during the "Hatsuyume Fair" from December 2015 to February 2026, the regular price was displayed as "50% off for a limited time." However, there was no record of providing services at the ``regular price'' for a certain period of time before the sale started. It was also acknowledged that this discount display had misled consumers into thinking that the price was lower than it actually was.

A representative from HIS Mobile said in an interview, ``We will take this order seriously, review our management system for advertising price display, and work to prevent recurrence and restore trust.''

The discount rate for the campaign is determined by the time of application, so there may have been differences in prices even for users who traveled during the same period. The company plans to refund the difference in discount rate to users who applied through the Spring Travel Support Campaign.