Consumer Counseling Center Received 864 Dyson Complaints
67% Increase from Last Year... 538 Cases of AS Dissatisfaction
Mr. A purchased a Dyson hair dryer for 700,000 KRW last September. After using it for about eight months, it broke down, and he applied for after-sales service (AS) to get it repaired. He was informed that it would cost 10,000 KRW to inspect the dryer and 50,000 KRW to replace it with a refurbished product, so he entrusted the repair.
Mr. A applied for after-sales service for a hair dryer he purchased for 700,000 won after it broke down, only to be told that he would have to buy a new one. [Image source=Getty Images]
Mr. A did not hear any news about the completion of the repair even after a month. When he inquired with Dyson, they only replied, "We cannot provide an estimated time." After five months without receiving the product, Mr. A was told that “the AS policy has changed, so you can either replace it with a refurbished product for 90,000 KRW or receive a coupon for a 30% discount if you purchase the same new product.”
Recently, consumer complaints about the premium small home appliance brand “Dyson” have significantly increased. According to the Korea Consumer Federation on the 16th, from January to October this year, 864 complaints related to Dyson were filed at the '1372 Consumer Counseling Center,' marking a 66.8% increase compared to the same period last year.
Analysis of the 864 cases showed ▲538 complaints about AS ▲142 complaints about product quality ▲70 complaints about contract termination ▲55 complaints about contract non-fulfillment ▲59 complaints about advertising, safety, pricing, and other issues.
Mr. B also received guidance to purchase a new product after requesting AS. He bought a Dyson Airwrap for 580,000 KRW in 2021 and requested AS in February 2023 after it broke down. Dyson informed him to wait about four months for a replacement with a refurbished product. However, after eight months, Dyson stopped the refurbished replacement due to internal policy changes and instead offered a coupon for a 30% discount if he purchased a new product.
The largest proportion of consumer complaints was about AS. There were many cases where repairs were delayed because parts were not supplied on time, even though the products had been purchased only a few months earlier.
According to Article 8, Paragraph 2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Consumers, if a product is not delivered within one month after the consumer requests repair during the warranty period, the seller must exchange it for the same type of product or refund the consumer.
The Federation explained that the unilateral change in after-sales service policies applied even to products within the warranty period, which intensified consumer dissatisfaction.
Meanwhile, when classifying the complaints received this year by product category, hair-related devices accounted for the largest number with 572 cases (66.2%), followed by vacuum cleaners with 181 cases, air purifiers with 65 cases, fans with 8 cases, and stylers with 4 cases.
By product type, most consumers of hair devices experienced inconvenience due to power failures, vacuum cleaner users complained about insufficient operating time caused by rapid battery depletion, and air purifier users were inconvenienced by noise complaints.
In response, the Federation plans to request the Fair Trade Commission to improve regulations to ensure that global companies do not discriminate against domestic consumers in their products and services.
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