They said you could earn money while studying... Online courses costing millions of won turn out to be “clickbait” [Consumer Essentials]

[Financial News] #. “You can earn up to 2 million won just by consistently taking the course? Then I’ll quickly make back the tuition.”Last year, 25-year-old A came across an eye-catching online course ad while browsing social media (SNS). It said that people could receive financial benefits in the form of rewards while studying through the course. Thinking it would be possible to pursue self-improvement and earn money at the same time, A called to inquire.
The provider went a step further, saying, “Students earned around 2 million won on average.” After hearing the explanation, A signed up for a two-year online course costing 2,397,600 won.
But soon afterward, A felt uneasy and looked up reviews from actual users, finding information that differed from what had been explained during the consultation. In reality, it was extremely difficult to obtain financial benefits like those advertised.
A therefore asked the provider to cancel the contract the very next day, but the provider threatened that A would have to pay a 300,000-won penalty to cancel. Feeling it was unfair to have to pay a substantial amount after just one day since signing up, A applied to the KCA for redress.■ Consumers can withdraw from a contract if the actual service differs from the advertisingAccording to the KCA on the 1st, consumer disputes over reward-based online education services that differ from their advertising have recently been increasing.
Article 17 of the Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce, Etc. stipulates that consumers may withdraw from a contract within three months of receiving the goods or services, or within 30 days of becoming aware of the discrepancy, if the goods or services differ from their labeling or advertising, or are not provided as stipulated in the contract.
In addition, Article 3 of the Act on Fair Labeling and Advertising prohibits false, exaggerated, or deceptive advertising that is likely to deceive or mislead consumers, as in A’s case.
The KCA considered it inappropriate to require A to bear the entire 300,000-won penalty, taking into account that A notified the provider of the intention to cancel the contract the day after starting the course. The case was ultimately resolved with a refund of the remaining amount after deducting only the 3,330-won fee for one day’s use.■ “Check the reward conditions carefully first”The KCA advised consumers that, because payment methods and conditions for reward-based educational products can be complicated, they should ask sellers for a detailed explanation before signing a contract and check recent user reviews.
A KCA official said, “If you believe the actual contract terms differ from the advertising, it is a good idea to keep evidence of what was explained at the time, such as the ad, call recordings, text messages, or KakaoTalk conversations.”

[email protected] Kim Hyun-ji Reporter