"Canceled Reservation Within 5 Minutes but Lost 80,000 Won"... Pet Pension Eventually Closed

Part of a conversation posted on an online community.
[Photo by BobaeDream capture]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Jucheol In] A dog pension in Gyeongju, which charged 60% of the payment amount as a penalty fee just 5 minutes after the reservation, faced severe backlash from netizens and ultimately decided to close down. However, the revelation that similar incidents had occurred in the past has sparked a strong aftershock.

On the 19th, a post titled "I am the owner of a Gyeongju pension. Please, the customer who wrote yesterday's post, see this" was uploaded on an online community.

The dog pension owner, Mr. A, appealed, saying, "I really have nothing to say even if I had a hundred mouths," and "I called dozens of times yesterday but you did not answer, and even after sending an apology text, there was no response, so I am very anxious and distressed." He also said he was looking for the customer who exposed the damage. Shortly after, new content was added to the post. Mr. A stated, "I personally found the affected customer and sincerely apologized."

He continued, "Even though you were still upset, you graciously accepted it and forgave my irreparable fault," adding, "Seeing you in person made me feel even more sorry and grateful, and I kept crying." He then announced, "I have decided to close the business, judging that running a lodging business with such a lack of service spirit is not right."

However, despite the closure news, netizens’ anger did not subside. On the same day, a post titled "I helped the Gyeongju pension" was uploaded to the same community. The author claimed, "The place that reported closure is blatantly operating illegally without a license and is even accepting cash only to evade taxes," attaching screenshots of reports filed with the National Petition System and Safety Report System.

This controversy began on the 18th with a post titled "Heartless Gyeongju pension, I was ripped off 90,000 won in 10 minutes." According to Mr. B, who introduced himself as a self-employed person, he made a reservation at a dog pension in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, on the 17th.

The reservation date was Chuseok day, the 21st, and since the pension’s policy did not allow card payments, he proceeded with a bank transfer. After transferring the accommodation fee and confirming the reservation via text with the dog pension owner, he learned that only dogs under 5 kg were allowed to stay according to the pension’s policy and requested a refund. This was just 5 minutes after the payment.

However, Mr. A claimed that only 40% of the accommodation fee could be refunded because it was a cancellation made 4 days in advance. He emphasized, "We originally only accept dogs under 5 kg, and this is stated on the homepage," adding, "It was your own fault for not consulting first."

Mr. B said, "Most dog pensions have a dog weight limit of 8 to 10 kg, so I carelessly thought 8 kg would be acceptable, which was my mistake," but also expressed frustration, saying, "Even though I requested a refund within 5 minutes, my precious 159,000 won turned into only 75,600 won in just a few minutes, which is absurd."

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