Misleading water dispenser contracts in Japan lead to surge in inquiries

Consultations about water dispenser services in Japan are skyrocketing with issues stemming from misleading contracts.
The National Consumer Affairs Center reported 1,997 consultations about water dispensers nationwide last fiscal year — an increase 1.4 times that of the previous year.
Some 1,214 consultations have been logged as of the end of September this fiscal year, exceeding last year’s pace. Women accounted for more than 60% of the cases, with consultations coming from a wide range of age groups.
Disgruntled customers said they felt misled. For example, a woman in her 60s was persuaded at a supermarket event to sign a rental contract for a water dispenser after being told it would be free for the first three years. When she later sought to cancel, she was charged an undisclosed penalty fee.
Another woman in her 40s signed what she thought was a rental agreement at a shopping mall, but when the device malfunctioned and she tried to cancel, she learned it was actually a purchase contract, and was charged ¥100,000 for the remaining cost.
In case of disputes with a business, assistance is available. Certain cases, such as door-to-door sales under the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions, may allow for contract cancellation through cooling-off periods or other rights, the consumer affairs center said. Anyone experiencing issues should promptly contact their nearest consumer affairs center, they added.