The so-called “black consumer” is a major headache for retailers and companies making consumer goods. (image credit: walmartcorporate @ flickr)
SEOUL, South Korea, Sept 23 (Korea Bizwire) – The so-called “black consumer” is a major headache for retailers and companies making consumer goods. Recently a discount store in Seoul had a run-in with a middle-aged woman who claimed that she lost something she stored four months ago in a locker inside the store. She threw a fit to a store clerk who offered cash compensation, saying now she had stored three more things in the locker. The store manager finally had to report it to the police and the woman was arrested for obstruction of business.
A healthy food company had to deal with an old man who claimed his health deteriorated after taking the food and demanded a whole round of health check-up at the company’s expense. The company managers thought it would be cheaper to pay him off than facing bad publicity and agreed that they pay the full medical examination. But the man insisted the company pay health check-up cost for all his family. The company ended up asking the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for full analysis and the man stopped contacting the company ever since.
So many home shopping companies have received customer complaints like “I haven’t got the package,” “I ordered an underwear but the box was empty,” or “I received only one shoe in a pair.” But most home shopping purveyors check the inside of the box just before shipment, with closed-circuit TV video footages for all processes, which ensures that no such thing can happen.
Still they send the packages again once complaints are received, for fears that their reputation may be damaged. But these companies are turning their attitudes toward these black consumers. Instead of complying with all kinds of demand no matter how absurd it is, they rely on prosecuting customers making repeated threats or showing unruly behaviors while ensuring that customers sign a document warranting that they have read the terms and conditions for refund and exchange.
Kim Tae-young, senior research fellow with the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, “Consumers making habitual, intentional complaints must be sought out. Information on these people must be shared across companies.” KCCI is currently administering a monthly training course “How to Deal with Black Consumers” in which an average of 200 corporate managers attend.
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