Consumer dissatisfaction with Dyson, a British brand that prides itself on being a “premium home appliance” maker, has significantly increased this year.
According to a Korea-based consumer group on Nov. 15, complaints related to Dyson filed with the “1372 Consumer Counseling Center” reached 864 cases by last month this year, a 66.8% increase compared to the same period last year (518 cases). This figure has already surpassed the total number of complaints received last year (628 cases).
Looking at the reasons for these complaints, post-purchase service issues comprised the majority with 538 cases (62.3%), followed by quality dissatisfaction at 142 cases, issues related to contract termination (subscription withdrawal) at 70 cases, and non-fulfillment of contract at 55 cases.
By product, hair devices, a popular Dyson product, accounted for 572 cases, making up 75% of the total. This was followed by 181 cases involving vacuum cleaners, 65 cases involving air purifiers, 8 cases involving fans, 4 cases involving stylers, and other products like humidifiers or heating lamps. The main issues with hair devices were power faults, vacuum cleaners had complaints about rapid battery depletion resulting in short operating times, and air purifiers were mainly criticized for noise.
In terms of after-sales service, there were numerous instances where, despite the product being only a few months to 2-3 years old, repair work was delayed due to the unavailability of parts. The Federation reported that Dyson had been informing customers that if a product could not be repaired due to a lack of parts it would be replaced with a refurbished product. However, when products malfunctioned, Dyson frequently made customers wait months under the pretext of unavailable parts, and then unilaterally changed its post-service policy, offering discount coupons or minor compensation instead. This effectively lured customers into repurchasing with discounts.
According to Article 8, Section 2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Consumers, if a product cannot be delivered even one month after a consumer has requested repairs during the warranty period, the consumer is entitled to either a product exchange or a refund.
The Korea-based consumer advocacy group criticized Dyson, stating, “Even after the warranty period, the standard for consumer dispute resolution dictates that a refund should be made based on straight-line depreciation from the purchase price, adding a certain amount according to the product type. However, Dyson has not been adhering to this standard.”