First auto reliability survey fails to impress both consumers, carmakers

The nation’s first state-run consumer survey on vehicles is gaining lackluster participation by car owners, with automotive companies raising questions about its reliability.

In July, the Fair Trade Commission launched a pilot program questioning local drivers on the product quality of their own sports utility vehicles via its website for consumer information.

The survey, which collects reviews on 133 SUV models of Korean and foreign carmakers until Aug. 31, has attracted only some 50 participants over the last one month as of Monday.

Even though the antitrust watchdog had planned to announce the result as early as September, the date is highly likely to be delayed due to the lukewarm reaction from consumers.

“It’s true that the participation rate is not so high. After the survey is completed, we plan to decide whether to disclose the final result or extend the deadline," said an FTC official.

“We also need to see if the survey result is meaningful as useful data.”

The FTC started Compare & Share, formerly known as K-Consumer Reports, in March to offer reviews of consumer products and services, benchmarking the iconic American monthly publication Consumer Reports.

Due to a lack of budget worth only 900 million won ($800,000) per year, the survey has thus far focused on cheaper and smaller items that the agency can afford to purchase such as hiking shoes, baby strollers and electric kettles.

And then what they came up with was the Consumer Talktalk, a pilot program via which the FTC aims to offer an online space for consumers to share product information, which could be led to an antitrust probe if necessary.

Despite keen interests in cars here, however, the first-ever consumer survey on SUVs has failed to gain reliability from both consumers and carmakers.

The FTC is currently luring participants with a 10,000 won cash reward. Compared to the modest incentive, consumers are required to take privacy risks by submitting identification and car registration numbers to participate in the survey.

Carmakers also seem more relaxed now unlike their earlier uneasiness when the unprecedented survey within the industry was announced one month ago.

“We are still sensitive to the result of the survey led by the antitrust watchdog. But the lower-than-expected number of reported cases raises the validity issue,” an employee at an auto company said on condition of anonymity.

“Compared to the U.S. Consumer Reports, the Korean version still has a long way to go to really affect carmakers here.”



By Lee Ji-yoon

(jylee@heraldcorp.com)



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‘한국형 컨슈머리포트’ 또 실효성 논란

공정거래위원회의 주도로 국내 최초로 진행되고 있는 SUV차량에 대한 소비자품질조사가 정작 운전자들에게 외면 받으며 당초 계획이었던 9월 발표가 어려울 것으로 예상된다.

공정위는 온라인 시범프로그램의 일환으로 지난 7월부터 국내외 자동차회사의 133개 SUV모델들에 대해 운전자들로부터 설문을 받고 있다. 8월 31일 마감을 앞두고 월요일 현재 접수된 건수는 50개 남짓이다.

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공정위관계자는 “예상보다 소비자 참여가 저조한 것 사실이다. 상황에 따라 마감을 늦출 수 있다”고 밝혔다.

업계 처음으로 실시되는 소비자품질 조사에 긴장감을 드러냈던 자동차회사들도 “표본이 적으면 조사결과의 신뢰도가 떨어지는 건 상식적인 얘기”라며 안도하는 분위기다. (코리아헤럴드 이지윤 기자)