Aftermath of 'Merge Point' Continues... 7,004 Consumer Complaints Received in September

Top Frequent Items in Consumer Complaints for September.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] It has been revealed that over 7,000 consumer consultations related to the recent refund crisis caused by the 'Merge Point Incident' were received last month.

According to the Korea Consumer Agency and the Korea Consumer Organization Council on the 15th, out of a total of 52,481 consultations received by the 1372 Consumer Counseling Center last month, consultations related to 'new-type gift certificates' accounted for the largest portion with 7,004 cases (13.3%).

Most consultations regarding new-type gift certificates were related to Merge Point. Merge Plus, the operator of Merge Point, abruptly announced in August that it would stop selling points and reduce the places where points could be used. Following this, consumer consultations inquiring about refund methods surged, with over 16,000 consultations received in August alone.

Looking at the number of consultations by type in September, after new-type gift certificates, similar investment advisory services (2,685 cases) and mobile phone services (1,548 cases) followed in frequency. Compared to August, the consultation increase rates were highest in health insurance (58.5%), beauty services (22.4%), and parcel delivery services (13.1%), respectively.

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