'Civil Complaints-Government Review-Card Company Improvements' Repeated for Four Days... Card Companies Become 'Disaster Relief Fund' Complaint Centers

e-Application Difficulties for Elderly Citizens
Additional Call Center and ARS Channels Under Review
Surge in Usage and Donation Inquiries
Emergency Response by System Development Department

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] One of the application reception centers for the 14 trillion won Emergency Disaster Relief Fund, the credit card companies, has turned into a complaint center. When complaints arise, the government requests corrections, and the card companies go through a process of making improvements, creating a repetitive cycle. Card companies, which had anticipated the possibility of related complaints even before the Emergency Disaster Relief Fund application began, are now caught between customers and the government, anxiously trying to navigate the situation.

According to the industry on the 14th, card companies are considering adding telephone channels such as call centers and Automated Response Systems (ARS) in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety regarding the disaster relief fund applications. Currently, applications are only possible through online channels such as websites and mobile applications (apps). However, due to a flood of complaints from elderly people and others unfamiliar with digital methods, discussions about adding telephone channels have begun.

Initially, card companies proposed to the government that applications via call centers and ARS should be possible from the early preparation stages. However, the government expressed concerns that phone use could be exploited for crimes such as phishing. They argued that phone-based applications should be handled cautiously to protect personal information. A card company official said, "The issues the government is worried about will not occur," adding, "Since we have considered line expansion, card companies are prepared to accept applications via phone."

This controversy has been repeating daily since the Emergency Disaster Relief Fund applications started on the 11th, following the pattern of 'complaint submission - government review - card company improvement.' On the first day of applications, criticism arose that the Emergency Disaster Relief Fund application page was encouraging 'accidental donations.' The next afternoon, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety requested all card companies to improve the system so that if a full donation is selected, a popup window would confirm the choice again. Card companies hurriedly worked overnight and from the 13th, improved their systems by adding a popup window to reconfirm donation choices or by creating a 'Apply without donation' menu.

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This was also a matter where card companies had previously requested to separate the support fund application screen and the post-donation application screen to avoid confusion among customers regarding the donation section, but this was not accepted. The government sent guidelines to card companies instructing that the support fund application and donation application be done on the same screen.

Given this situation, complaint calls have been pouring into card company call centers every day. The call centers and IT departments developing the systems have been working overtime daily and have entered an emergency operation mode since the Emergency Disaster Relief Fund application began. A card company official lamented, "Since the Emergency Disaster Relief Fund application started, the call abandonment rate has increased by 20-30% compared to before," explaining, "The call abandonment rate means customers give up calling due to long wait times, so complaints coming into the call centers have surged." Another card company official sighed, "On the 11th, there were many inquiries about how to apply, but from the 13th, as the Emergency Disaster Relief Fund became usable, inquiries about where to use it have exploded. Despite the application screen revisions, inquiries about canceling donations continue, leaving no time to rest even briefly."

This time, complaints about usage locations are flooding the card companies, leaving them busy preparing services to guide the use of the disaster relief funds. KB Kookmin Card has been providing a 'Disaster Relief Fund Usage Merchant Map' service based on customer location through its app and mobile website since the 12th. Shinhan Card is also expected to offer a disaster relief fund map lookup service within two weeks. Samsung Card and Lotte Card allow searching for available merchants by region on their websites. Hyundai Card, Hana Card, and BC Card (Woori Card) are also preparing merchant search services.

An industry insider said, "Regarding the disaster relief fund, card companies are receiving complaints on the front lines on behalf of the government," adding, "Although somewhat expected, they remain on edge every day, anxiously watching what kind of complaints will come next while caught between customers and the government."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.