Increasing Online Furniture Purchase Disputes... Delivery and Return Fees Sometimes Exceed Half the Price

Nearly 2,000 Consumer Complaints Filed for Relief Over 3 Years at Consumer Agency

As online furniture purchases increase, disputes related to product defects, delivery, and return shipping costs are also on the rise.

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 15th that there were 1,944 cases of damage relief requests related to online furniture purchases received over the past three years (2020?2022). The cases occurred continuously with 624 in 2020, 623 in 2021, and 697 in 2022.

The largest proportion, 875 cases (45.0%), involved product defects such as quality issues experienced after purchasing furniture online. This was followed by 730 cases (37.5%) related to contract issues such as withdrawal of subscription, 127 cases (6.5%) of after-sales service (A/S) complaints, and 118 cases (6.1%) concerning labeling and advertising.

Quality-related damages included defects such as poor finishing, scratches, and contamination, where consumers requested refunds or exchanges, but sellers often did not acknowledge the defects and refused to take further action. Contract-related issues frequently involved consumers notifying withdrawal before receiving the product, but sellers charging delivery fees claiming that delivery had already started. There were also cases where delivery fees not previously disclosed were demanded during the delivery process, or excessive return fees were imposed even though installation was impossible on site.

By item category, disputes related to sofas and chairs were the most common with 522 cases (26.9%). This was followed by beds with 442 cases (22.7%), desks and tables with 323 cases (16.6%), and wardrobes with 301 cases (15.5%). An analysis of 81 cases where product purchase prices and return costs were confirmed showed that in 19 cases (23.5%), delivery and return fees exceeded half of the purchase price. There were also 2 cases where the fees charged were higher than the product price. In 42 cases (51.9%), delivery and return fees were charged after purchase without prior notice, and in 39 cases (48.1%), fees demanded were higher than those initially disclosed.

The Korea Consumer Agency emphasized the importance of carefully checking transaction conditions and contacting the seller if there are any suspicious points or defects after receipt.

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