Consumer complaints over surprise charges after using cleaning and drain-clearing services are surging, prompting a warning for caution. In particular, cases in which consumers sign contracts by phone or online without an on-site estimate, only to be asked for hundreds of thousands of won in extra fees on the day of the work, are occurring one after another.
The Korea Consumer Agency analyzed 1,204 damage-relief cases related to cleaning and sewer sanitation services filed over the past three years (from 2023 to the first quarter of 2026). It found that complaints involving demands for additional fees numbered 292, accounting for 24.3% of the total, the agency said on the 16th. In the first quarter of this year, complaints related to demands for additional fees increased about 3.3-fold from the same period a year earlier.
The rise in complaints was particularly notable in sewer services such as drain-clearing. In cleaning services, poor service quality, including inadequate cleaning conditions, was the most common at 42.8% (510 cases), followed by demands for additional fees at 20.5% (244 cases) and damage or loss of household goods at 15% (179 cases).
Most complaints over additional fees arose after consumers signed contracts remotely, such as through online consultations. Under this pattern, the operator visits the site on the day of cleaning and demands extra fees not disclosed at the time of the contract, citing the degree of contamination or the layout of the house. In many cases, when consumers refused, the operators declined to carry out the contract or to refund the deposit.
In sewer services such as drain-clearing, poor service quality was again the most common at 48.9% (68 cases), followed by demands for additional fees at 34.5% (48 cases). Some operators listed a basic fee of only about 50,000 won for unclogging a toilet on their websites, then demanded hundreds of thousands of won in additional fees on-site, citing toilet removal and the use of special equipment. There were also confirmed cases in which operators billed extra fees after already disassembling the toilet or opening the sewer, making it difficult for consumers to refuse payment.
To prevent such harm, the agency advised consumers to obtain an on-site estimate before signing a contract rather than contracting online or by phone, and to check the reasons and amounts for any additional fees before signing.
It also recommended that consumers carefully inspect the site before paying the balance after the work is completed, and secure supporting materials such as before-and-after photos in preparation for disputes.
