To safeguard consumers’ rights in purchasing Korean products online, the Korean Consumer Agency (KCA) publishes a consumer alert for Macao consumers and suggests Macao consumers to lodge their complaints at the Consumer Council for case referral.

The KCA indicates that the Korean entertainment business and its merchandise is widely popular among foreign consumers and cross-border consumer disputes are derived therefrom. The KCA has received many complaints from foreign consumers since January 2020 regarding purchases of K-pop stars merchandise from a certain Korean website, issues including problems in delivery, cancellation of order, refund, exchange, the website being unable to fulfill the transaction contract, and defects and quality of products. With the assistance of the KCA, all foreign consumers are able to have their complaints resolved.

Case referral mechanism active between Macao and Korea

The Macao Consumer Council and Korean Consumer Agency signed a cooperation agreement in 2019 to set up a mechanism for complaint case referral. The KCA recently invites the Council to publish a consumer alert on helping foreign consumers how to handle their difficulties when facing any problems or issues when making cross-border purchase of K-pop goods. The consumer alert aims to raise the awareness of Macao consumers to protect their own consumer rights and assist them in resolving their disputes.

The Council has yet received any cross-border online shopping case on K-pop merchandise. If any consumer wants to lodge a complaint at the Council, the Council will refer the case to the KCA at the earliest time possible, consumers may also file the case directly with KCA via e-mail (crossborder@kca.go.kr). The KCA will try its best to assist Macao consumers and the mediation result will be delivered directly by the KCA, or delivered by the Council.

Importance of retaining evidence

The KCA reminds Macao consumers that if the purchased products are not delivered in time, they should contact the seller regarding the situation. For cross-border transaction, if the consumer receives a wrong product or any defect is found in the product, the consumer should collect evidences (such as photos or short videos) to prove that the defect(s) is caused by the seller. The consumer should try to use every possible channels, including e-mail, to request the seller for solutions and seek for assistance from the Council or the KCA if the dispute cannot be resolved.

Consumer rights information on KCA website

A wide range of valuable shopping tips and useful information at KCA’s Cross-Border Transaction Consumer Portal (https://crossborder.kca.go.kr) are available for consumers in Chinese, English, and other languages.