Consumer Inquiries About December Coats Increase by 46% Amid Onset of Severe Cold

As the cold weather began in earnest last month, consumer consultations related to coats significantly increased.

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 26th that the number of consultations received by the 1372 Consumer Counseling Center in December last year was 41,528, a 6.2% increase compared to the previous month. However, this figure represents a 14.5% decrease compared to December 2022.

Compared to the previous month, consultations related to coats increased the most by 46.2%. This was followed by casual pants, which showed a 42.6% increase. Most complaints regarding coats and casual pants were due to product defects, with consumers requesting exchanges or refunds, but dissatisfaction arose as companies did not acknowledge the defects.

Compared to December of the previous year, consultations related to credit cards increased the most by 49.4%. This was followed by overseas travel (36.8%) and health insurance (29.9%) consultations. Among these, many credit card consultations were related to random smishing scams impersonating credit card companies using overseas phone numbers.

The product category with the highest number of consultations in December last year was health clubs (1,044 cases), followed by jumpers and jackets (1,023 cases), and clothing and textiles (1,021 cases). Most health club consultations were due to excessive penalties demanded upon early termination or refusal of refunds. Consultations regarding jumpers, jackets, and clothing and textiles mainly arose from product defects or delivery delays, with consumers requesting exchanges or refunds but companies refusing.

The Consumer Agency stated, "If consumer damage occurs, consumers can apply for consultations through the 1372 Consumer Counseling Center or Consumer24 by preparing transaction details and supporting documents."

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