Air Conditioner Consumer Inquiries Up 78.2% Compared to Previous Month... "A/S is Slow"

Korea Consumer Agency, Analysis Results of Consumer Consultations Last Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Consumer consultations related to air conditioners have significantly increased ahead of the full summer season.

On the 16th, the Korea Consumer Agency announced that the number of consumer consultations received by the 1372 Consumer Counseling Center last month was 45,804, a decrease of 8.7% compared to the previous month. Among these, consultations related to air conditioners increased by 78.2%, recording the highest growth rate. This was followed by general cosmetics (20.7%) and health supplements (16.5%).

In the case of air conditioners, there was an increase in cases where consumers requested after-sales service (A/S) due to the unit not working after installation, but the response was delayed. For cosmetics and health supplements, many inquiries were about solutions to forced purchases, such as being encouraged to use samples over the phone and then receiving the full product together.

Compared to May of last year, consultations related to various financial products jumped by 180%, showing the largest increase. This was followed by mobile information usage services (38.5%) and various interior facilities (10.7%). For financial products, inquiries mainly concerned smishing messages related to overseas payment approvals. There were also many consultations about refunds for charges incurred even after canceling mobile content services and about solutions for poor finishing after interior construction.

In terms of the number of consultations last month, similar investment advisory services had the highest with 2,354 cases, followed by mobile phone services (1,641 cases) and health clubs (1,172 cases).

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