Airi Clinic's Refund Agreement Includes Waiver of Legal Claims; Consumer Protection Officer: Has Nature of Settlement

(Central News Agency reporter Cao Yazou, New Taipei, 7th) Airi Clinic faced a hidden pinhole camera controversy, and the group today opened refunds. However, its refund letter attached a waiver of civil and criminal claims, which raised questions. The New Taipei City Consumer Protection Officer pointed out that the refund letter has the nature of a settlement, and if signed, it will have the effect of impeding litigation. Consumers must weigh and carefully evaluate it themselves.

In response, a senior prosecutor pointed out that the refund letter is a civil contract and does not affect the establishment of criminal liability or the right to file a criminal complaint. If the public signs to agree to a refund, they "can still file a criminal complaint" and it will not affect the criminal responsibility of the perpetrator.

Airi Clinic was found to have a suspected pinhole camera hidden in its smoke detector. Group President Chang Ru-shan, Assistant Zhang, vendor Xie, and others were involved in crimes such as obstructing sexual privacy and were detained and prohibited from visiting by the prosecutor. The Airi Group today issued a statement apologizing to consumers and opening refunds.

However, some netizens pointed out that the refund consent form provided by Airi contains "After the clinic fulfills the agreement reached by both parties, the customer shall waive other civil and criminal claims related to this incident," which raised questions about requiring consumers to keep silent.

Wang Zhi-yu, Director of the New Taipei City Government Consumer Protection Officer Office, stated in an interview with the Central News Agency that the refund consent form has the nature of a settlement. In fact, in general settlements or consumer dispute mediations, waiving legal claims is a common item, and settlement agreement templates usually contain this clause.

Regarding whether to sign, Wang Zhi-yu said that consumers must weigh whether to agree to quickly obtain a refund or choose not to sign to retain the right to litigate and take legal action, but lawsuits usually take longer. If consumers sign and then sue, the operator may use this as a basis to impede litigation, so careful evaluation and decision are necessary.

Regarding the Airi consumer dispute, the New Taipei City Legal Affairs Bureau issued a press release in the evening stating that the city government has launched three consumer protection measures, including the Consumer Protection Officer accepting consumer complaints and assisting the public in entering mediation procedures. As of today, 57 complaints have been accepted; second, entrusting professional lawyers to provide legal consultation to help the public understand the differences between criminal procedures, incidental civil actions, and class action lawsuits; finally, the health, police, and legal affairs units will cooperate across departments to integrate relevant information to prevent the public from having nowhere to turn for help.

The Legal Affairs Bureau added that consulting citizens can bring relevant written materials to the legal consultation room on the 1st floor of the New Taipei City Government Administration Building to receive free legal consultation services. On-site consultation hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, and on-site acceptance or online reservation through the Legal Affairs Bureau's official website are available. Consumers can also go to the mediation committees in various districts, where volunteer lawyers will provide consultation services. (Editor: Lin Shuhui) 1150507

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