Consumer Agency: "Air Conditioner Inquiries Increase by 76% Compared to Previous Month Ahead of Summer"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The Korea Consumer Agency announced that consultations related to air conditioners increased by 76% compared to the previous month as summer approaches.

According to the Consumer Agency on the 20th, the number of consumer consultations in May this year was 44,868 cases, among which air conditioners (76.0%) showed the largest increase compared to the previous month, followed by one-piece dresses (65.7%) and T-shirts (62.4%).

Many consultations regarding air conditioners were requests for exchanges due to malfunction after installation, while cases demanding refunds for one-piece dresses and T-shirts increased due to delivery delays and product defects.

Compared to the same month last year, the consultation increase rates were highest for indemnity insurance (828.1%), air passenger transport services (118.0%), and new-type gift certificates (76.5%). For indemnity insurance, many consultations involved inquiries about delayed insurance payments after cataract surgery. For air passenger transport services, a large number of cases involved excessive penalties demanded by service providers after flight cancellations. For new-type gift certificates, complaints increased as businesses refused refunds for expired mobile gift certificates.

By age group, those in their 40s accounted for the most consultations with 11,913 cases (28.2%), followed by those in their 30s with 11,725 cases (27.7%), and those in their 50s with 8,872 cases (21.0%). By reason for consultation, quality and A/S-related issues accounted for 11,133 cases (24.8%), contract cancellation and penalties for 10,325 cases (23.0%), and contract non-fulfillment for 7,036 cases (15.7%).

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