"Free Baby Photoshoot" Trusted but... "50,000 Won to Get the Original" [Heotdari Economy]

(33) Beware of 'Free' 'Winning' Online Ads

Editor's NoteMany people thought they were engaging in smart economic activities to get something better, but it often turned out to be a misstep. When consumers are deceived by corporate marketing or blinded by momentary gains and make wrong decisions, they end up being the ones who suffer. We aim to examine economic activities where people have made mistakes by misjudging everyday situations.

Online advertisements boasting "free photo shoots," "free trips," and "hair model recruitment" have been increasing recently. However, behind the word "free," there is often a shadow of "additional costs." Recently, on social networking services (SNS) such as Instagram, schemes that use free events as bait to extort money have been rampant. The fields have diversified, expanding to family photos, travel, wedding photos, hair treatments, and implant procedures. However, consumers end up opening their wallets reluctantly under the pressure of companies emphasizing the regret or damage caused by not opting for the "additional costs," resulting in harm.

Ms. Yoo Eun-jung (34) received a call from a photo studio offering free 50-day baby anniversary photos and visited with her baby. It was said to be free because it was linked with the hospital where she gave birth. But after the shoot, the story changed. While a small album containing four photos was free, she was told she had to pay 500,000 won to receive the original photos. When she said she would only take the free album, they drew a line, saying she could not even select the photos. They said making an album with selected photos would incur additional costs. Ms. Yoo said, "If they had explained from the beginning, I would have been mentally prepared, but they only emphasized 'free' and changed their story after the shoot." The free album photos she received without additional costs were, in a word, terrible. Ms. Yoo regretted, "When I received the album, it seemed they had gathered only the strangely taken photos. If I had known this, I would have gone to another photo studio."

A member of a Naver cafe said they decided to have a family photo shoot after receiving a call offering it for 30,000 won. They said makeup and costume rental were also free, and all they had to do was show up. However, the person in charge changed their attitude after the shoot. They demanded additional costs, citing frame and service fees. The member, who regretted that the whole family had come together after a long time for the shoot, ended up paying an additional 2.5 million won. The member said, "They said if you don't buy it, they won't even give you the film," and added, "There is no such thing as free or 100% winning. You have to be prepared to spend money."

Another cafe member saw an ad saying that if you become a hair model, dyeing would be free, coordinated a time with the person in charge, and visited the salon. It was said to be "free" on the condition of sharing before and after photos of the dyeing. However, after the hair treatment, they demanded an additional 100,000 won, citing reasons such as extra length and protein care. The member said, "Of course, it was cheaper than a regular salon, but it felt bad to be asked for additional costs without prior notice after saying it was free." They regretted, "If I had known in advance, I would have paid more and gone to a better salon."

Advertisements such as "Free for residents of OO-dong," "30,000 won for family photo shoots," "OO-linked free photo shoot service," and "Free treatment if you become a hair model" are easily encountered through social networking services (SNS), Danggeun Market, or text messages. The common point is that they emphasize that the benefits are not available to everyone. They advertise as if it is a secret service disclosed only to a limited number of people. They offer benefits only to local residents or services linked with certain hospitals. Expressions like "You have won" make people feel they would lose out if they refuse. The ads for free hair model treatments are the same. After the treatment, the story changes.

According to the Korea Consumer Agency, requests for damage relief related to "photo shoots" have been sharply increasing recently. The number of damage relief requests was 198 in 2021 and 312 in 2022. Last year, the number increased to 329, and as of the end of July this year, it recorded 253 cases.

Professor Lee Eun-hee of Inha University's Department of Consumer Studies advised, "Marketing something as free may be the business operator's choice, but it would be better to add a note at the bottom of the advertisement that additional costs may occur." She explained that consumers should be presented with the possibility of additional costs before making a choice. However, she said it is not easy to prevent damage. Professor Lee said, "Most of the businesses are small-scale operators with low recognition, so only some consumers know about it," and added, "It is necessary to enable consumers to recognize this through consumer advisories or alerts containing information about online free advertisements and precautions to be taken regarding free ads."

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