Money spent on food delivery keeps increasing, as do complaints

A Baemin, or Baedal Minjok, food deliverer is driving a motorcycle in Seoul on Sept. 15. The number of complaints filed to Korea Consumer Agency is rising as more people order in at home due to Covid-19. [NEWS1]

The amount of money spent on food delivery continues to rise amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and so does the number of complaints made to food delivery services.

According to a report compiled by the Korea Consumer Agency for Rep. Lee Joo-hwan of the main opposition People Power Party, the number of complaints filed to the agency seeking for either consultation or compensation rose almost 230 percent from 135 in 2017 to 445 in 2020.

This year, 444 complaints have been made as of August, already almost the same number as the whole of 2020.

The service that received the most complaints was Baemin, or Baedal Minjok, which took up 58.7 percent of all complaints, followed by Yogiyo with 38.2 percent and Coupang Eats with 14.1 percent. However, the number of complaints in relation to Coupang Eats has been on the rise recently, according to the report.

Baemin has the biggest share in the food delivery app market with 66 percent, followed by Yogiyo with 17.9 percent, Coupang Eats with 13.6 percent and others that make up 2.5 percent, according to Global Bigdata Research institute.

Most complaints were because of breach of contract, some 122 cases, followed by low quality with 70 cases, wrongful acts with 65 cases, and termination and compensation of contract with 52 cases.

The increase of complaints is a natural result of the growing food delivery market. The amount of money spent on food delivery services recorded an all-time high of 17.4 trillion won ($14.7 billion) last year, a 78.6 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to Statistics Korea.

“Food delivery apps have made it possible for people to get a variety of foods delivered,” said Rep. Lee, “but consumers’ complaints are rising as the cost of delivery and time needed for the deliveries to be made keeps rising. The delivery apps must not be complacent in their efforts to minimize consumers’ dissatisfaction.”

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]