Leaving Abusive Remarks Over Simple Food Complaints
A customer dissatisfied with delivered food left a review containing insulting remarks directed at the store owner, sparking controversy. Although the “review market” on delivery platforms and portal sites has become a central part of everyday consumer decision-making, there is growing criticism that measures to filter out malicious reviews from some consumers remain at a standstill.
A customer dissatisfied with the delivered food left a review containing insulting remarks directed at the store owner, sparking controversy. Pixabay
On December 3, a post titled “Can I report a Baemin customer’s abusive, offensive review?” was uploaded to an online community. In the review shared by the author, identified as Mr. A, the customer complained, “The fried food isn’t even crispy, it’s just chicken breast with some seasoning,” and went so far as to write, “You XX idiots, are you really selling this for 30,000 won?”-using extremely offensive language. The content went beyond a legitimate complaint about food quality and was a blatant insult to the owner’s character. The customer even used internet slang that disparages former President Roh Moo-hyun, continuing with further mockery.
“All I got was a reply saying they can’t share customer information”
Mr. A wrote, “I was so shocked that I stopped what I was doing and called Baemin customer service to request the customer’s phone number, but they said they couldn’t provide it.” He continued, “I told them that if that’s the case, I would file a complaint for defamation and business obstruction, so please hand over the customer’s information.” However, the only response he received from the representative was, “The customer is in a very poor mental state, so we can’t share their information, but they would like to apologize.”
Mr. A responded, “I don’t want an apology. I just want to meet this person in person and ask what they were thinking when they wrote such a harsh review.” The customer in question has since deleted the review and even deactivated their Baemin account. Mr. A expressed concern, saying, “I’m worried because this person deleted their account. I really want them to be punished-do you think that’s possible?”
Netizens who saw the post reacted strongly, commenting, “You can file a complaint; if you provide the identifiable Baemin account, the police will handle it,” “Even if you’re angry about the taste, is that normal behavior?” “If you’re sick, go to the hospital,” “You must report this-people like that really need to be punished,” “The review section should be closed,” “It looks like we need a real-name system for reviews,” and “It’s scary to think there might be people like that around us.”
Malicious reviews are rampant... but legal and regulatory gaps persist
Although the “review market”-where people order or book food through delivery platforms or portal sites, write reviews, and check ratings for businesses-has grown rapidly, there is ongoing criticism that measures to filter out malicious reviews from some consumers remain stagnant. According to Statistics Korea, the value of online food service (delivery food) transactions reached 26.4 trillion won in 2023.
However, problems persist, such as customers giving one-star ratings for reasons like “the service (food) was not provided,” which drags down a restaurant’s overall rating. In particular, platforms like Google and Kakao Map allow users to freely write reviews even if they have never used the business, leading self-employed business owners to complain, “I’ve never sold food to this person, but I received a negative review.”
There is criticism that measures to filter out malicious reviews from some consumers are at a standstill. Pixabay
On internet communities like Naver Cafe, which are frequented by small business owners and self-employed individuals, many share their frustrations: “I got a low rating because someone said the cheese wasn’t savory,” or “A customer claimed they found a cockroach in the food, so I apologized and gave a refund, but since there was no photo in the review, I wonder if it was a lie.” Attorney Kim Taeyeon of Taeyeon Law Office told Yonhap News, “Even if you suffer damages from malicious reviews, it is rare for them to be recognized as defamation or business obstruction,” emphasizing, “We need to consider ways to improve the system.”
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