Consumer-Oriented System Improvement Tasks on the 18th
Frequent Shoe Washing Disputes, "Product Information Stitching Recommended"
Consumer dispute resolution standards will be established for products and services rented for short periods, such as wedding dresses and hanbok. For shoes, which frequently cause disputes during the cleaning process, it is recommended to affix product information such as material directly onto the shoes.
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On the 18th, the Consumer Policy Committee reviewed the "Consumer-Oriented Institutional Improvement Tasks" and delivered these recommendations to the relevant ministries. The Consumer Policy Committee is an organization chaired by the Prime Minister and a civilian chairperson that establishes and coordinates government-wide consumer policies. These tasks were identified through public suggestions, consumer group proposals, and internal research.
The Fair Trade Commission was proposed to establish consumer dispute resolution standards for short-term goods rental services. Recently, consumer damages related to short-term rental services have been increasing due to the rise of single-person households and the expansion of the sharing economy. In particular, consumer disputes frequently occur during the rental process of expensive wedding dresses worn at wedding venues or costumes and accessories rented at tourist sites.
Although there are currently dispute resolution standards related to goods rental services (rental services), most focus on long-term rental items such as water purifiers or massage chairs. As a result, it has been difficult to apply the current standards to consumer damages occurring during short-term rentals. The Fair Trade Commission plans to add short-term rental industries to the item-specific dispute resolution standards and establish refund criteria for contract cancellations before the usage date.
Shoes with Frequent Cleaning Disputes, "Recommendation to Stitch Product Information"
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy was advised to change the method of providing product information for footwear. This is because disputes frequently occur in shoe cleaning services. Typically, shoe-related information is provided in a detachable manner (tags, stickers). Once removed after purchase, it becomes difficult to know the appropriate cleaning method. In fact, 71% of defects in cleaning services are due to inappropriate cleaning methods.
Accordingly, it was recommended to affix important information such as handling precautions and material permanently on individual shoe products by printing or stitching. The European Union (EU) also regulates that product material information related to shoe care must be printed, attached, or engraved.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will amend enforcement rules to require animal funeral service businesses operating via telemarketing to register their telemarketing sales. Additionally, under the Animal Protection Act, information on registration and compliance will be strengthened during the education of animal funeral service providers.
The Consumer Policy Committee stated, "We plan to actively identify and propose institutional improvement tasks from the consumer perspective to ensure that consumers' fundamental rights are more fully guaranteed in the future," adding, "We will continue efforts to improve systems in areas such as consumer damage relief and consumer safety, where many improvement requests have been made."
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