"Is 360,000 Won for 3 Days of Electricity at a Shared Accommodation Normal?"

Booking Accommodation Through Shared Lodging Platform
Gas and Electricity Fees Paid After Stay, Separate from Accommodation Fee
"The Tail Is Bigger Than the Fish" Netizens Point Out

Following the controversy over 'fatty samgyeopsal' at some restaurants in Jeju Island tourist spots, a post by a tourist exposing excessive electricity charges at an accommodation has become a hot topic. On the 12th, a post titled "Jeju Island 2 nights 3 days Airbnb accommodation electricity bill (electricity fee is the correct term) Is this right?" was uploaded on the online community FM Korea. The author, A, who identified himself as a soldier, traveled to Jeju Island from April 22 to 24 with four soldier friends including himself.

A reserved accommodation through the shared lodging platform 'Airbnb,' and this accommodation charged separately for electricity and gas fees in addition to the accommodation fee. After the reservation, A did not particularly think about the electricity and gas fees, but was shocked by a text message received from the accommodation. The message from the host read, "We are contacting you regarding the postpaid utility bill settlement for gas and electricity," stating, "The gas fee (hot water, heating) for 2 nights and 3 days is 2,707 KRW, and the electricity fee is 366,040 KRW, totaling 368,747 KRW. Please transfer the exact amount without rounding for payment confirmation."

[Photo by Asia Economy DB, Online Community 'Bobae Dream']

A expressed his grievance about the message. He claimed, "We did not plug in anything separately or do anything, and we did not turn on the air conditioner because it was cold and rainy at the time. We also made sure to turn off the lights when going out," asserting, "We did not use electricity excessively." He added, "Those familiar with Jeju Island travel and Airbnb, is this price normal?" and concluded the post by asking, "All of us are soldiers in our early 20s with little social experience, and this is our first time encountering such a case. What should we do?"

Netizens responded to the story with comments such as, "An electricity bill of 360,000 KRW is like the tail wagging the dog," "No wonder no one wants to go to Jeju Island," "Even if strong men used electricity for three days, is an electricity bill of 360,000 KRW possible?" and "Did they mistakenly write 36,000 KRW?"

Meanwhile, the accommodation located in Aewol-eup, Jeju, explained on Airbnb's notice that "Guests need to be aware that they are paying for their own usage to prevent waste of electricity and gas. Preventing this waste helps keep accommodation fees reasonable," explaining the reason for operating electricity and gas fees on a postpaid basis. The accommodation further stated, "Electricity and gas fees average about 8,000 KRW per day in December, about 10,000 KRW per day in January and February, and about 5,000 KRW per day in March. Other periods generally incur less than these amounts," adding, "There may be variations such as rooms where previous guests used heating leaving residual warmth resulting in slightly lower heating costs, or rooms that were vacant the previous day having slightly higher costs, but charges are based solely on meter readings."

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