Seoul City received a complaint regarding the reliability of review ratings on the food delivery platform Baedal Minjok and officially reported the matter to the Fair Trade Commission. The complaint stated that the actual food quality of a highly rated restaurant, which the consumer trusted based on its high ratings, was below expectations.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government received a complaint regarding the reliability of review ratings on the food delivery platform 'Baedal Minjok'.

Complainant Mr. A ordered jajangmyeon and jjamppong from a Chinese restaurant in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul through the Baedal Minjok app on August 10. This restaurant was ranked number one in ratings within the area on the app.

Mr. A pointed out, "All noodle dishes were soggy, the jjamppong broth had almost no flavor, and the sweet and sour pork was excessively hard, making it difficult to eat."

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Council, complainant Mr. A ordered jajangmyeon, jjamppong, and sweet and sour pork from a Chinese restaurant in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul through the Baedal Minjok application at around 6:40 p.m. on August 10. This restaurant was ranked number one in ratings within the area on the app.

However, Mr. A expressed strong dissatisfaction with both the delivery process and the food quality. The delivery took 1 hour and 10 minutes, and Mr. A claimed that the restaurant did not respond properly to phone inquiries about the delay. The main issue was the food itself. Mr. A pointed out, "All noodle dishes were soggy, the jjamppong broth had almost no flavor, and the sweet and sour pork was excessively hard, making it difficult to eat."

Afterward, Mr. A checked the restaurant's reviews sorted by lowest ratings and found that many other consumers had voiced similar complaints. He argued, "There is a possibility that the owner artificially wrote positive reviews, or that negative reviews were systematically deleted or restricted in their exposure," adding that this could constitute false advertising and consumer deception.

The complaint was filed with the Fair Economy Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Department of Civil Affairs and Labor, and the city directly conducted a fact-check with Baedal Minjok. Seoul City stated, "We received a response that Baedal Minjok carries out its own monitoring, such as deleting duplicate images to prevent review manipulation, and allows consumers to choose how reviews are sorted."

원본보기 아이콘

원본보기 아이콘

However, the city requested the platform operator to take measures to prevent recurrence, so that similar complaints would not be repeated. It also sent an official document to the Fair Trade Commission so that it could determine whether any laws had been violated.

This complaint is expected to spark discussions about the need for stronger management responsibility and fairness from the platform, as the review system within delivery apps has a significant impact on consumer purchasing decisions.