"Acceleration packages don't actually 'accelerate' anything - you still have to queue on 12306 even after paying extra money." With the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays approaching, ticket purchasing and grabbing has once again drawn attention. Recently, the Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Rights Protection Committee released investigation results on 9 third-party train ticket grabbing platforms. The investigation found that while these platforms all claim that purchasing "acceleration packages" and ticket-grabbing packages can improve success rates, actual experience showed that 12306 consistently issued tickets first, making "acceleration package" services mere gimmicks.

Investigation findings show that on platforms like Trip.com Group, Quna, and Fliggy, "acceleration packages" have been repackaged and sold as comprehensive packages like "All-Round Ticket Grabbing" and "Worry-Free Ticket Grabbing," with prices ranging from 48 to 60 yuan.

Facing these questions, customer service from multiple platforms responded. Trip.com Group's customer service stated that assistance packages provide dedicated servers from the platform, which can only improve ticket-grabbing speed but cannot guarantee successful ticket purchases. Tongcheng and Fliggy customer service indicated that after users purchase acceleration services, the platforms will help users grab tickets through their systems. Quna's customer service claimed that acceleration packages can improve probability but cannot predict specific effects. As of publication, Trip.com Group, Quna, and Fliggy have not provided official responses.

12306's official customer service stated that 12306 cannot provide accelerated ticket-grabbing services, and standby orders are allocated tickets based on submission order. Additionally, 12306 has not authorized any third-party platforms, but also cannot prevent third-party platforms from purchasing tickets on 12306 by registering multiple personal accounts.

Two lawyers indicated that if "acceleration packages" don't live up to their name, this could involve false advertising or even fraud, and also constitute unfair competition.

Are Acceleration Packages Just Gimmicks?

In fact, this isn't the first time relevant departments have exposed the "myth" of "acceleration packages." Before this year's Spring Festival, 12306 clearly stated that it has never cooperated with any third-party platform organizations, has not allocated ticket quotas to them, and has not established data connections.

Shan Xinghua, Deputy Director of the Innovation Center at Railway 12306 Center, once stated in an interview: "We have conducted tests before - whether third-party platforms charge extra money or not, the final results are the same. It's just a gimmick." She recommended that consumers should quickly submit standby requests on 12306 when tickets are unavailable, as the system will allocate tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.

This means third-party platforms have no priority or special channels for accelerated ticket purchasing - all ticket purchase requests must ultimately queue in the 12306 system.

Previously, third-party platforms typically set up multiple acceleration levels such as "slow speed," "fast," "high speed," "extreme speed," and "VIP," with prices increasing with higher levels. In actual operations, platforms are also adept at using various interface design techniques to guide user consumption. For example, some platforms place highlighted "extreme speed ticket grabbing" buttons with additional fees in prominent positions, while "regular ticket grabbing" buttons without extra charges are placed in secondary positions.

However, investigation reveals that currently on platforms like Trip.com Group, Quna, and Fliggy, "acceleration package" services are packaged and sold as "All-Round Ticket Grabbing" or "Worry-Free Ticket Grabbing" packages, priced at approximately 48 to 60 yuan. According to product descriptions, these ticket-grabbing packages include benefits such as dedicated offline ticket grabbing, acceleration assistance services, and taxi or hotel discount coupons.

Facing questions about "acceleration packages," Trip.com Group's customer service stated that assistance packages provide dedicated servers from the platform, which can only improve ticket-grabbing speed but cannot guarantee successful ticket purchases. "Assistance packages can enhance network speed based on users' acceleration levels, accelerating the speed and frequency of monitoring remaining tickets, thereby improving travel solution rates. If ticket grabbing fails, no fees are charged."

Quna's customer service responded that acceleration packages can improve ticket-grabbing probability, but specific probabilities cannot be predicted. Different acceleration services will have different acceleration effects when users simultaneously grab the same tickets, but ticket-grabbing speed cannot be compared with other external platforms.

Both Tongcheng Travel and Fliggy customer service stated that after users purchase acceleration services, platforms will help users grab tickets through their systems. Tongcheng Travel's customer service also mentioned that acceleration packages can improve successful ticket-grabbing probability but don't guarantee 100% success, and if unsuccessful, the platform will provide full refunds.

Lawyers: Suspected Unfair Competition

Why do large numbers of consumers still try "acceleration packages" despite knowing they might be ineffective? Survey data from Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Committee shows that over 30% of respondents doubt their effectiveness but still purchase them due to anxiety.

Some consumers stated: "If tickets weren't immediately put on standby from the moment they go on sale, who would want to pay extra money for acceleration packages right from the start?" Other consumers said: "Full-journey tickets are available, but shorter segments go straight to standby. Starting with standby sales increases passenger anxiety, which is why people get tempted by these so-called accelerators."

So do "acceleration packages" and "paid ticket grabbing" constitute false advertising? Beijing Zhongyin (Guangzhou) Law Firm lawyer Han Bin stated that if third-party platforms deliberately exaggerate their advertising, mislead consumers, and charge fees for ticket-grabbing services with no substantial effect, this would constitute false advertising. According to Civil Code provisions, consumers can demand contract cancellation and fee refunds.

Han Bin also mentioned that ticket-grabbing platforms often use technical means to increase ticket-grabbing success rates, which reduces ordinary consumers' success rates, violates fairness principles, disrupts market order, and constitutes unfair competition.

Wang Longguo, lawyer at Shanghai Shenyihe Law Firm, believes that as a public service involving all of society, railway transportation should meet people's basic needs, and the ticket purchasing process should be fair for everyone. If third-party services like "acceleration packages" exist in name only, operating under the "acceleration package" banner without providing corresponding services, this constitutes fraud. At minimum, it disrupts social order and warrants administrative penalties; at worst, it constitutes criminal behavior requiring criminal punishment.

Wang Longguo stated that if third-party services like ticket purchasing "acceleration packages" don't engage in fraud or false advertising and genuinely provide acceleration through technology, they still constitute suspected illegal operations due to lack of authorization from railway transportation service providers, potentially constituting administrative or criminal violations.