April 26, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Apple recently faced a fresh round of complaints over its customer support in South Korea, after belatedly providing a Korean announcement for replacing problematic iPhone batteries.

On Nov. 20, Apple posted an announcement in English only on its Korean website about how to replace batteries if the device unexpectedly shuts down. This was different from Apple’s move to immediately post a Chinese announcement after receiving complaints from Chinese consumers. 

The move here immediately stoked complaints from Korean customers, which Apple responded to by providing a translated version four days later on Thursday.

Apple Korea was not immediately available when reached for comment.

Apple’s customer support in Korea has been frequently questioned in the past. Apple holds around 20 percent market share here.

Currently, neither Apple Store nor tech support station Genius Bar, operate here -- unlike in Japan and China. Apple instead entrusts customer support to local repair stores.

One iPhone user, surnamed Kwon, said although her phone randomly turns off when its battery shows 10 percent remaining, she opts not go to a repair center.

“I don’t want to go through the same hassle of being rejected (for repairs), waiting and paying again,” said Kwon, who paid more than 250,000 won ($212) for a small scratch on the panel and waited weeks.

As complaints have grown among consumers who have said their problem phones were not able to get repaired without an explanation, the Korean Free Trade Commission began an investigation early this year.

In April, the Korean antitrust watchdog found that there were 20 unfair clauses in contracts between Apple Korea and repair stores. The unfair clauses include that Apple can cancel repair contracts without any prior notice and arbitrarily alter clauses.

One iPhone user, who shifted from Samsung Galaxy a year ago, said, “Although I am satisfied with using iPhone, especially its camera function, I sometimes miss Samsung’s quick and convenient consumer support.”

The survey done by research firm Consumer Insight of about 4,000 local consumers showed that consumers scored the satisfaction of Apple’s repair support at 651 out of 1,000, while rating Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics’ repair support at 768 and 781.

The average repair cost of iPhone users was 219,000 won, while that of Samsung was 111,000 won, with LG at 99,000 won.

Apple has been in the top 15 list for ignoring consumers’ complaints for five years consecutively, according to the state-run Korea Consumer Agency.

By Shin Ji-hye/The Korea Herald (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)