[전국][제보는Y] 21x higher phone bills and desperation … “I reported the change” versus “Did you know as much as the ad?”

[앵커]

How would you feel if your telecom charges, which were tens of thousands of won a month, suddenly went out more than 20 times?

It is a position that the rate setting method has changed without my knowledge, but the news agency has mobilized all possible methods to report it.

Listen directly to the person and let the viewers judge.

This is Kim Min-seong.

[기자]

A woman in her 80s who sent her daughter to England 20 years ago.

I signed up for KT Internet Phone in 2009 and have been using it for over 10 years to talk to my daughter, my wife, and my grandson who I want to see.

[80대 여성 A 씨 / KT 인터넷전화 이용자 : 얘들이 어떻게 학교 잘 다니고 어떻게 하나 걱정을 해서 가끔 전화했습니다. 요즘은 주로 코로나19 때문에….]

Mr. A, who spoke with his daughter for approximately 5 hours and 55 minutes for two months in September and October and paid a total of 7,950 won for international calls.

But last month I got a bill for 385,000 won for international calls in 5 hours and 27 minutes.

Talk time is about 30 minutes less, but the rate is 21 times higher.

[강석진 / 안양시 비산동(A 씨 아들) : 요금이 갑자기 만원, 2만 원 나오던 게 (기본료·부가가치세 포함) 42만8천 원 나온 거에요. 이게 잘못 나온 줄 알았어요.]

Since last month, KT has changed the international calling rate for Internet calls, that is, how the rates are calculated, but Mr. A did not know at all.

In response to the belated protest, the customer service center posted it in the September website announcement and reported that it was also written on the mailed invoice.

[KT 고객센터 상담원 / 12월 22일 :KT 입장에서는 공지 후에 시행한 내용이기 때문에 정상적으로 통화된 금액에 대한 통화료는 부과되는 게 맞습니다.]

In October, a text message was sent twice to Mr. A’s internet phone number, claiming that “the company did enough to do it,” but as a result, the user was unaware.

[강석진 / 안양시 비산동(A 씨 아들) : 여기(고지서) 보면 깨알 같아요 이게. 이 작은 문구(글자)로 쓰는 게 효력이 있는지 모르겠지만…. 중요도가 높으면 맨 위에 있어야 하는데 맨 밑에다 한 줄 해놓고….]

He added that the ad should have made it easier and clearer to indicate whether the rate is going up or down.

[강석진 / 안양시 비산동(A 씨 아들) : 광고할 때는 굉장히 거창하게 해요. 홈페이지 들어가도 무슨 이벤트 하면 팝업 창 이만한 거 띄우고, 그래서 사람들이 굉장히 주목하게 하는데, 정작 소비자가 필요하고 소비자가 불리한 조건에 대해서는….]

There does not appear to be a clear context to suggest that KT has violated current laws or terms of use.

The current commercial telecommunications law prohibits not notifying users in advance if a commercial operator changes the terms of service during the contract period, but does not stipulate the method of explanation or the format of notification.

However, it is noted that companies need to think more about users’ right to know.

[박민정 / (사)전북소비자정보센터 부장 : 소비자 정보 취약계층인 노인세대, 어르신 세대에는 더 큰 문제가 발생이 될 수 있다고 보여집니다. 보다 소비자의 알 권리를 충족하기 위한 차원에서 적극적인 정보 제공이 무엇보다 필요하리라 보여집니다.]

KT offered to reduce the reported charges substantially, but Mr. A refused and terminated the Internet telephony contract.

YTN Minsung Kim[[email protected]]is.

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