<Anchor> The
merge point incident, which was said to be used like cash if purchased at a low price, led to a refund crisis, ended up going to court. Victims have filed a class action lawsuit against the operator.
This is reporter Jeong Yun-sik.
<Reporter>
Merge Point attracted consumers by saying that they can purchase points at a 20% discount and use them like cash at convenience stores or large marts.
As word of mouth spread, the industry became so popular that it was rumored that the number of subscribers reached 1 million.
However, it turned out to be an unauthorized service that was not even registered with the financial authorities.
In the end, sales were abruptly stopped last month, leading to a refund crisis.
[Merge Point User (13th of last month): If you say 'I have to stay until the money comes in', you can stay here. Do you hear?]
Victims who did not receive full compensation for a month after the incident took legal action.
The 148 victims filed a class action lawsuit against the Merge Point operator and others to compensate for damages of 220 million won.
[Kang Dong-won/Legal Attorney in Class Action: The amount of merge point purchase and 200,000 won for each victim were added to the claim.]
Lotte Shopping and companies that sold merge points, such as 11st, are also included in the lawsuit. That's it.
This is the reason that famous sellers have been aiding consumers from harm by focusing only on unconventional marketing while ignoring the illegality of Merge Point.
[Mr. Kim / Merge Point user: The total points are about 7 million won. I made a purchase trusting the large companies that entered the store and the e-commerce (e-commerce) sales channels that they sold.] The
Korea Consumer Agency has also applied for collective dispute mediation to resolve the Merge Point incident.
(Video coverage: Seo Jin-ho, Video editing: Lee Seung-hee)