Tromm dryer owners ask FTC for help, seek refunds

Owners of partially defective clothes dryers from LG Electronics have requested an investigation by the Korea antitrust authority and are seeking full refunds.

Sung Seung-hwan, an attorney at Maeheon, said Friday that he has sent a letter to the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) requesting it take action on behalf of 562 consumers. He claims deceptive advertising.

Despite LG’s move to fix the problematic dryers and provide 10 years of free repairs, the lawyer said that the response is insufficient.

“The consumers are asking for a refund because LG’s product did not offer the benefits promised on its advertisements,” Sung said.

The product in question is the 1.45 million won ($1,240) LG Tromm Dual Inverter Heat Pump dryer sold from April 2016 to last June. Users said the model made their clothes smell bad and become moldy.

LG said that the model could self-clean its condenser, but users said the function didn’t properly work.

The recent legal action comes after the Korea Consumer Agency stepped in to resolve the dispute last November.

The agency suggested LG pay 100,000 won in compensation for causing customers inconvenience, but it did not accept the claim that the malfunction resulted in negative health effects, saying it was “difficult to prove the causal relationship” between the two.

LG said in December it will expand its offer of free service. Previously, the company sent technicians if requested by the customer, but now the company will contact consumers first and fix their dryers. LG declined to comment on the consumer action on Friday.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]