Korea Consumer Agency: "Water Purifier Rentals Must Clearly State Cancellation Fees After Mandatory Usage Period"

Korea Consumer Agency Analyzes 83 Dispute Resolution Cases
77.1% of Claims Filed After End of Mandatory Usage Period

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on January 14 that, in consultation with the Regular Council of Water Purifier Rental Companies, it has required that water purifier rental contracts clearly state that cancellation fees may be incurred even after the mandatory usage period ends.

For water purifier rental contracts, cancellation fees such as removal costs are charged even after the mandatory usage period has ended. However, it is difficult to find this information in the contract, leading consumers to mistakenly believe there are no cancellation fees, which has resulted in related damages.

According to the Korea Consumer Agency’s analysis of 83 water purifier rental dispute resolution cases received over the past three and a half years (from 2022 to June 2025), 77.1% of the cases were filed after the mandatory usage period ended. This is more than three times the rate of cases filed before the end of the mandatory period (22.9%).

This is believed to be because, although the contract terms do include information about costs incurred after the mandatory usage period, the details are written in small print within long and complex clauses, making it difficult for consumers to easily identify them.

Among the 10 water purifier rental companies surveyed, only one company clearly indicated in the key contract terms that costs such as removal and registration fees would be incurred if the contract is canceled after the mandatory usage period.

Four companies only specified that removal fees would be charged for cancellations during the contract period, providing insufficient information regarding cancellation fees after the mandatory usage period. The remaining five companies did not mention this information at all.

The Korea Consumer Agency shared the survey results with the Regular Council of Water Purifier Rental Companies and recommended that nine companies, which failed to provide adequate notice regarding cancellation fees after the mandatory usage period, improve their notifications.

Additionally, the agency advised consumers to check both the rental period and the mandatory usage period when signing a rental contract, and to confirm any costs they may be responsible for if they terminate the contract early.