Smartphone 'lowest price' quote through app... Law apart, reality apart

<Anchor>

It usually costs over 1 million won to buy a smartphone, but some stores sell mobile phones much cheaper to people who come to Aleumaleum.

Telecommunication companies are only paying customers who diligently compare prices, but there is a difference of hundreds of thousands of won each.

There are many voices calling for reform of the related system.

Let’s take a look at the report by reporter Jeong Seong-jin first.

<Reporter>

This is an app that allows you to buy the latest smartphone through reverse auction.

You choose a mobile phone and ask for a quote, and several stores send you a competitive price to sell.

I went to the place that offered the cheapest price among them.

[(I came to see the ○○ app.) Yes, welcome.]

[Cell phone store: If you do, you will be purchasing at this price from 2119,000 won to 1,049,700 won.]

Samsung, which has been out for a month I was able to buy the latest phone for 500,000 won cheaper than a regular store.

[Cell phone store: Yesterday too, I came through there (○○ app), but my family changed everything.] The

reason the price is different from regular stores is that the telecommunication company secretly gives additional subsidies only to these customers.

Mobile phones are officially stipulated by law so that a maximum of 15% of the subsidy announced by telecommunication companies can be reduced.

But so-called 'holy land' stores that sell a lot of phones say that the carriers are adding additional subsidies to them, adding to the number of customers.

[Cell phone dealer: It's much cheaper.

At the dealership, no matter how much you subtract, 100,000 won?

20 million won?

I never take more than that.]

The Korea Communications Commission, which is responsible for managing and supervising, does not even know that such an app exists.

[Jung Pil-mo / National Assembly Science and Communications Commissioner: If you look at the actual crackdown of the Korea Communications Commission, there is a situation where it is not easy to catch such an intelligent and sophisticated act.] In a situation where

telecommunication companies only take care of some smart customers, general consumers suffer damages I'm watching.

(Video coverage: Lee Sang-hak, video editing: Lee Seung-jin)

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<Anchor>

Let's find out more with reporter Jeong Seong-jin.

[Reporter Seongjin Jeong: It is true that telecommunication companies pay more to stores that sell a lot, but this is a concept like a bonus.

But people in the industry who are well aware of this situation tell a different story.

This means that the sales commission in places such as holy places is released up to twice as much as in general stores.

In the end, the money is being used to lower the price of smartphones, and even within this telecommunication company, departments with performance pressure are indirectly supporting them to attract more customers.

This is the story.]

[Reporter Jeong Seong-jin: That's right.

This is how you find Aleumaleum through the Internet or the apps you saw before, but young people in their 20s and 30s find them well.

However, consumers who are relatively ignorant of information are discriminated against.

In this day and age, it is the era of finding cheap loans and deposits through the Internet.

But what is the reason that the government is still blocking these smartphones from being sold cheaper? There are constant criticisms like this.]

[Reporter Jeong Seong-jin: With the current government, the Prime Minister's Office of Government Policy Coordination is currently discussing the need to eliminate various regulations by regulating mart business, and this agenda is included.

The goal is to abolish the government's setting of subsidies for smartphones.

A public discussion will be held soon, so we will have to wait and see what the outcome of the discussion will be.]