Background and objectives of announcing our approach

GMO Internet Group (hereinafter referred to as "our group") aims to contribute to the society by bringing smiles and inspiration to the customers through providing our No.1 services, as stated in our corporate philosophy "Spirit Venture Declaration."

In order to provide No.1 services, we believe that the fundamental premise is that all of our employees (hereinafter referred to as "our partners") who support these services work with pride, and that their mental and physical health is well-maintained.

As more and more customers use our services we receive their valuable opinions every day, however, there are very few cases of abusive language and excessive demands on our partners.

While it goes without saying that we should create smiles for our customers by improving our services, we also believe that protecting our partners from the aforementioned actions is essential to making our services sustainable, and that is one of the reasons we have disclosed our approach to "customer harassment"

Through these efforts, we expect to improve our relationship with our customers as well as the quality of our services.

Acts covered

With reference to "Company Manual on Customer Harassment Countermeasures" published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, our group defines "customer harassment" as "our partners’ working environment being harmed by inappropriate demands or act, such as violence, intimidation, etc. that are beyond social conventions by customers".

Whether or not a customer's behavior constitutes "customer harassment" is determined on the basis of the following points: (1) the appropriateness of the content of the request; and (2) the extent to which the means and manner of realizing the request are reasonable in light of socially accepted terms.

Specific examples of "customer harassment" are as follows but not limited to:

• Violence

  • Act of violence
  • Threatening or intimidating statements and sentences
  • Insulting statements and sentences
  • Statements that deny our partners’ integrity or impair their reputation

• Excessive or unreasonable demands

  • Undue demand without justifiable reasons
  • Request for responses (refunds, provision of services, etc.) beyond the scope of contracts and regulations
  • Excessive repetition of the same or unreasonable requests and inquiries
  • Demand for an apology without reasonable reasons
  • Requirement of face-to-face responses

• Other acts of harassment

  • Defamation on SNS and the Internet
  • Our partners' privacy infringement activities
  • Sexual harassment to our partners

Responding to "customer harassment"

(External response)

• We may refuse to provide our services or customer support when our group determines that a covered action has been observed.
• If our group determines customers’ action as malicious, we will respond appropriately after consulting with the police or legal counsel.

(Internal response)

• We establish a consultation desk for "customer harassment" cases.
• We establish a response system in the event of "customer harassment".
• We strive to give high priority to the mental care for our partners in the event of "customer harassment".
• We will collaborate with our corporate doctors and other external experts for further appropriate responses.
• We implement measures to acquire knowledge and countermeasures for our partners in preparation of "customer harassment".