The Korea Consumer Agency (Director Yoon Soo-hyun) has begun accepting applications for group dispute mediation to collectively provide relief to many consumers who have suffered damages due to delays in payment settlements with sellers affiliated with Timon Co., Ltd. and WeMakePrice Co., Ltd.
The Consumer Agency announced that it will initiate procedures such as forming a dedicated response team and applying for collective dispute mediation to the Consumer Dispute Mediation Committee.
In order to apply for collective dispute mediation, the number of consumers who have suffered the same or similar type of damage due to products, etc. must be 50 or more, and the important issues in the case must be common in fact or law.
This class action dispute mediation is being conducted to provide relief for large-scale consumer damages by considering the online platform operators (Tmon and WeMakePrice) that provide intermediary services between consumers and sellers as parties along with the sellers who are parties to the contract. Therefore, sellers who have not received payment from Timon and WeMakePrice are not eligible for relief.
According to the Consumer Agency, from July 22 to 25, the number of consultations related to Timon and WeMakePrice received at the 1372 Consumer Counseling Center reached 4,137, and in particular, the highest number of consumer consultations occurred during the summer vacation season, requiring prompt relief for damages.
The status of receipts by item is 1,576 for travel, 816 for accommodation, 182 for air travel, and 1,563 for other items.
Accordingly, the Korea Consumer Agency simplified the issues in the case and announced that it would first apply for group dispute mediation in cases where a consumer who purchased travel, lodging, or airline tickets from Timon and WeMakePrice requested to cancel the contract but was refused a refund, or where a request for a refund was refused on the grounds of the seller’s breach of contract.
Consumers can apply to participate in collective dispute mediation from August 1st (Thursday) to August 9th (Friday) through the Korea Consumer Agency website.
Meanwhile, for cases other than travel, accommodation, and airline tickets where the contracted items are not travel, accommodation, or airline tickets, and for cases other than requests for refunds of purchase prices related to the current payment delay, consumer consultation and damage relief procedures will be conducted through the 1372 Consumer Counseling Center due to the variety of sellers and issues at stake.
A Korea Consumer Agency official said, “Consumers who wish to apply for collective dispute mediation must refer to the recruitment guidelines and participate in the mediation application within the application period.”
Source: www.nextdaily.co.kr
