○  The Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission(CDSC /The Chair: Kou-Whan Jeong) has decided to commence the Collective Alternative Dispute Resolution procedure regarding the claims raised by 65 customers against ‘Gans’ internet shopping mall on February 18, 2008.

 

□  Company Name: Gans (internet shopping mall, president: Chi-Moon Choi, Minor, born in 1990)

 

□  Consumers’ Damages: From September- October, 2007, the products, purchased through ‘Gans’ internet shopping mall such as clothes, bags, shoes etc. have not been delivered to customers.

 

□  Participation in the Collective Alternative Dispute Resolution procedure:

Apply for participation in the Collective Alternative Dispute Resolution procedure by stating similar product damage details on the Korea Consumer Agency home page (www.kca.go.kr) from February 21~March 12, 2008.

 

□  Future Measures: The Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission(CDSC) will

deliver a decision after investigating the facts for one month.

 

□  Related Act     : The Framework Act on Consumer (Article 68)

 

□. Related information: On October 16, 2007, the Korea Consumer Agency provided the counseling information regarding ‘Gans’ internet shopping mall users to prevent consumers’ further damages.

 

○ Having started from the first Collective Alternative Dispute Resolution case on August 15, 2007, currently, the 18th Collective ADR case has been filed at the Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission.  The most common claims were regarding defective housing, followed by faulty industrial products and on line transactions.  The Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission(CDSC) will decide to settle the case after investigating the documents, facts and considering the legal principles.  The above ‘Gans’ case is the 8^th Collective ADR open case.

 

○ Facing an imminent Collective Alternative Dispute Resolution case, corporations are put on alert since the consumers, who have been ‘weak’ in disputes with companies in the past, will have bigger voices.