Incheon Consumer Counseling Reports Highest Damage from Similar Investment Cases like Stock Leading Rooms... 973% Increase Compared to Previous Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Last year, consultations related to stock leading rooms and similar investments accounted for the largest proportion of consumer consultations in the Incheon area.

According to the "2021 Incheon Consumer Consultation Customized Information Analysis" by Incheon City and the Korea Consumer Agency on the 13th, the number of consumer consultations received by the 1372 Consumer Consultation Center in Incheon last year recorded 35,989 cases. This accounts for 5.8% of nationwide consumer consultations.

The top five consultation categories were similar investments with 1,734 cases (4.8%), new types of gift certificates such as mobile discount coupons with 1,384 cases (3.8%), health clubs and fitness centers with 1,341 cases (3.7%), clothing and textiles with 1,137 cases (3.2%), and mobile phone services with 1,006 cases (2.8%).

In terms of year-on-year consultation increase rates, new types of gift certificates increased the most by 972.9%, followed by other financial products (175.5%), mobile information usage services (48.2%), room air conditioners (35.9%), and automobile insurance (23.6%).

Female consumers (55.2%) most frequently consulted about new types of gift certificates (908 cases), while male consumers (44.8%) most frequently consulted about similar investment advisory services (1,005 cases).

Also, people in their 30s submitted the most consultations with 9,806 cases, followed by those in their 40s (9,710 cases), 50s (6,446 cases), and 20s (3,694 cases).

Major consultation cases include one where a consumer agreed to use a similar investment advisory service for one year on the condition of a full refund if the stock target profit rate was not met, but despite continuous losses and requests for early termination, the business operator only pressured for continued use and refused refunds.

Another case involved subscribing to a paid subscription service where points purchased at a discounted price could be used like cash at affiliated stores, but when the number of affiliated stores decreased and a refund was requested, the business operator repeatedly stated that a penalty fee would be deducted.

In consultations regarding health clubs and fitness centers, many cases involved consumers requesting early termination and refunds after contracting a one-year health membership but facing difficulties using it due to COVID-19 quarantine passes, only to be charged excessive penalty fees by the business operator citing personal reasons for the refund.

An official from Incheon City stated, "Based on the analysis data, we will provide age-specific customized education to prevent consumer damage and strive to enhance citizens' consumer rights through community-based consumer damage relief."

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