Card Companies Become Disaster Relief Fund Complaint Centers... 'Complaints-Government Review-Improvement' Repeated for Four Days (Comprehensive)

Additional Call Center and ARS Channels Considered for Elderly Facing Difficulties with Online Applications
Surge in Inquiries on Usage and Donations
Emergency Response by System Development Department

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] One of the application reception points for the emergency disaster relief fund worth 14 trillion won, the credit card companies, has turned into a complaint center. When complaints arise, the government issues correction requests, 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 surge in complaints from elderly people and others unfamiliar with digital methods, discussions on 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 was concerned that phone usage could be exploited for crimes such as phishing. The rationale was 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 inducing '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 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 donation application screen to avoid confusing customers over the donation item, but the request 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 flooding card company call centers daily. The call centers and IT departments developing the systems have been working overtime and operating in emergency 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 to 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 exploded," adding, "Despite the application screen revamp, inquiries about canceling donations continue, leaving no time to rest."

This time, complaints about usage locations are pouring into card companies, leaving them busy preparing services to guide the use of 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, "Card companies are receiving complaints on the front lines on behalf of the government regarding the disaster relief fund," adding, "Although somewhat expected, they remain tense every day, trying to anticipate what complaints might come next while caught between customers and the government."

Meanwhile, Shinhan Card has modified its IT system from this day to prevent the use of family cards when using the disaster relief fund. Previously, among the nine card companies eligible for disaster relief fund applications, Shinhan Card was the only one allowing the head of household to use the disaster relief fund with their family card. However, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety issued guidelines prohibiting the use of disaster relief funds with family cards. All nine card companies restrict family card usage, but if the head of household holds multiple cards from the same company, they can use multiple cards regardless of whether they are credit or check cards.

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