By Lee Ji-hye
Smartphone applications for ordering food are under fire for poor management of payments, service and communication.
A group of consumers has condemned seven food delivery apps, including Baedal Minjok, or "Delivery Nation" in Korean, Yogiyo, Baedaltong, and Menubox.
"Ordering with one touch of a finger may seem simple, but it requires more explaining than average," the Korean Women's Federation for Consumers said, adding that ordering and payment procedures were inefficient.
It said alcohol delivery was not regulated, even for underage students.
"There is no way to confirm the ordering person's age or identity, and even with certain standards for their services, all you really need is an Internet service and credit card information ㅡ so there is absolutely no control over who orders what," the federation said at a press conference.
The organization also said there was no regulation of delivery app standards to begin with.
"All seven app services state that they claim no responsibility over the buyer and the supplier, which means that even if there is a problem occurring during the process of delivering the product, the app services take responsibility for nothing," the federation said.
The group called for more consumer protection and for standards to be strictly followed.
"All these apps have specific requirements for consumer standards, but have failed to properly protect the underage who might be vulnerable through these new services," it said.
Smartphone applications for ordering food are under fire for poor management of payments, service and communication.
A group of consumers has condemned seven food delivery apps, including Baedal Minjok, or "Delivery Nation" in Korean, Yogiyo, Baedaltong, and Menubox.
"Ordering with one touch of a finger may seem simple, but it requires more explaining than average," the Korean Women's Federation for Consumers said, adding that ordering and payment procedures were inefficient.
It said alcohol delivery was not regulated, even for underage students.
"There is no way to confirm the ordering person's age or identity, and even with certain standards for their services, all you really need is an Internet service and credit card information ㅡ so there is absolutely no control over who orders what," the federation said at a press conference.
The organization also said there was no regulation of delivery app standards to begin with.
"All seven app services state that they claim no responsibility over the buyer and the supplier, which means that even if there is a problem occurring during the process of delivering the product, the app services take responsibility for nothing," the federation said.
The group called for more consumer protection and for standards to be strictly followed.
"All these apps have specific requirements for consumer standards, but have failed to properly protect the underage who might be vulnerable through these new services," it said.
