Dongtan Stationery Franchise to Remove Sign After Refusing Refund for 140,000-Won Table Tennis Paddles

A stationery store in Dongtan will eventually take down its sign after selling two table tennis paddles to a middle school student for 140,000 won and refusing to issue a refund.

Alpha Stationery said it had begun the process of terminating the franchise agreement. The contract had been in place for more than 10 years, allowing the company to end it immediately. Headquarters said it would move quickly, including by sending formal certified notices.

The decision came as the controversy spread and other franchise stores began facing complaints and related damage. The paddles were not products supplied by Alpha’s headquarters. Their separately confirmed consumer price was about 25,000 won.

The store is also unlikely to return the remaining stock under the company’s normal rule that products cannot be returned after one year. The controversy began after a first-year middle school student bought two paddles without price tags and was told the purchase could not be returned.