#701 Seoul YWCA 20, Myeong-dong 11-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea
TEL.: 82-2-774-4050/FAX: 82-2-774-4090
Consumers should be wary of conmen offering internet education services
The number of complaints submitted to the 1372 Consumer Counseling Center in the January-June period this year totalled 788. The items at the top of the list of the complaints were penalties imposed on contract cancellations, refund delays, and the refusal of refunds. The complaints also included fraud cases. It is reported that some businesses contacted college freshmen and obtained their personal information. The perpetrators did so under the guise of offering that they would send free materials that are used for preparing IT qualification tests and then they sent an invoice or refused to cancel the agreed upon contract.
【Status of complaints submitted concerning internet education services】
⦁ The perpetrators contacted college students, particularly freshmen, and asked them to provide their personal information if they were interested in receiving free materials designed to help them prepare for IT qualification tests. They regarded any commitment made by a student as an agreement and then asked them to make a payment.
⦁ Someone came into a classroom, telling students that his business would provide a free internet lecture service concerning IT qualification tests if they only paid the server update fee. Some students applied for the service and then tried to cancel the application, which the business refused to accept.
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A majority of victims were naïve students, who did not know what it means to sign an agreement. When they later tried to amend the situation after realizing what they did, the businesses refused to accept their cancellation requests.
It appears that these businesses distributed CDs containing lectures, saying that they were free and all that customers had to do was to pay some fees. Then, they did things that would prevent customers from cancelling an agreement. Later, the businesses threatened the students, saying that penalties would accumulate if they failed to pay the price within a designated time.
These businesses say that the backside of the subscription application signed by students says that it is an application contract, meaning that students who signed the sheet are responsible for the result. It appears that there were many naïve victims who did not check both sides of the application.
Consumers should be wary of dishonest businesses making unreasonably generous offers. The relevant authorities should have these businesses state important things in a contract in a way that can be easily understood by customers, including young students.
-------------------Partners of Korea National Council of Consumer Organizations----------------------
National YMCA of Korea, Green Consumers Network in Korea, Korea Federation of Housewives Clubs, National Council of Homemakers Classes, Korea Consumer Education Center,
National Council of YMCAs of Korea, Consumers Union of Korea, Consumer Affairs Institute,
Citizens Alliance for Consumer Protection of Korea
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