Pharmaceutical Company Gives Bizarre Response "Hi, OK" When Complained About Defective Pregnancy Test

Pregnancy Test Shows 'Two Lines' but Hospital Says 'Not Pregnant'
After Complaining About Error, Received 'Hi, OK' Reply Then Consultation Ended

A consumer who complained about a pregnancy test kit error in a pharmaceutical company's consultation chatroom received only the two-character replies 'ㅎㅇ (hi)' and 'ㅇㅋ (okay)', sparking controversy on social networking services (SNS).

On the 3rd, JTBC's 'Sageon Banjang' reported that a newlywed couple in their 30s purchased three pregnancy test kits at a convenience store on the 25th of last month. They saw the 'two lines' indicating pregnancy on two of the kits and went to an obstetrics and gynecology clinic, but it was confirmed that they were not pregnant. The couple judged the pregnancy test kits to be defective and informed the pharmaceutical company through the official KakaoTalk consultation chat. However, the pharmaceutical company ended the consultation after leaving only the messages 'ㅎㅇ' and 'ㅇㅋ' without any further explanation. On social media, 'ㅎㅇ' means hi (hello), and 'ㅇㅋ' means okay.

The couple said, "At the time of inquiry, there was a notice on the homepage stating 'consultation is difficult during this week,' so we waited until the 2nd and were about to inquire again when we received this response." They lamented that they have not received any explanation from the pharmaceutical company since this message. Netizens who saw this expressed reactions such as "They probably thought chatting was a waste of time," "Although there may be a high volume of consultations, this is a bit much," and "This is a very insincere attitude toward a customer reporting a defective product."

Meanwhile, Article 41 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, as the Emotional Labor Protection Act, mandates employers to take necessary measures to prevent health hazards caused by verbal abuse from customers. The Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection requires employers to take necessary measures, as prescribed by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, to prevent health hazards caused by verbal abuse, assault, or other acts causing physical or mental distress beyond an appropriate scope to customer service workers engaged in selling goods or providing services. It also stipulates that if health hazards occur or there is a significant risk of occurrence due to verbal abuse from customers or third parties, employers must take necessary measures such as temporary suspension or transfer of work as prescribed by Presidential Decree.