You Still Have to Pay After the Mandatory Usage Period?…Caution Urged Over Water Purifier Rental Service Disputes

1,462 Dispute Resolution Applications Filed with Korea Consumer Agency Over Three Years
"Thoroughly Check Contract Terms," Experts Advise

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on May 30 that consumers experiencing disputes over costs related to the cancellation of water purifier rental services are on the rise, and therefore, it is important to thoroughly check the terms and conditions of contracts.

Water purifier. Photo is unrelated to the article content.

According to the agency, a total of 1,462 applications for dispute resolution related to water purifier rentals were received over the past three years: 401 cases in 2022, 382 cases in 2023, and 536 cases in 2024, showing an increasing trend each year. As of March this year, 143 cases have already been filed.

When examining the reasons for these applications, complaints related to contracts accounted for 56.3% (823 cases), which is more than half. Among these, "contract termination and penalty fees" made up 61.1% (503 cases), while "contract non-fulfillment," such as failure to provide maintenance and inspection, accounted for 33.7% (277 cases).

An analysis of 159 cases where both the rental period and mandatory usage period could be confirmed showed that 35.8% (57 cases) of complaints about cancellation costs occurred "after the mandatory usage period," which is more than three times higher than the 10.1% (16 cases) that occurred "within the mandatory usage period." This is believed to be because consumers expect that there will be no costs, such as penalty fees, when canceling after the mandatory usage period, but in reality, only the penalty fee is waived, while discounted rental fees, registration fees, and removal fees are still charged.

In fact, consumer A, who used a water purifier rental service, signed a 60-month rental contract (with a mandatory usage period of 36 months) and canceled it in the 47th month, after the mandatory usage period had passed, but was still billed for the discounted rental fee and removal costs.

According to the "Notification on Important Labeling and Advertising Matters" by the Fair Trade Commission, in the rental service industry, all costs to be paid by consumers during the rental period and the refund criteria in the event of early termination must be clearly stated.

To prevent consumer damages related to water purifier rental contracts, the Korea Consumer Agency advised consumers to check both the rental period and the mandatory usage period when signing a rental contract, and to confirm in advance all costs that may be incurred in the event of early termination of the contract.