Top-10 common cases reported before World Consumer Rights Day

The customer is always right

World Consumer Rights Day falls on Thursday this year. Every March 15, Shanghai's law-enforcement personnel conduct a series of campaigns explaining to local consumers how to identify fake products and avoid illegal items and shady businesses.

Shanghai Consumer Council released its yearly report of 10 common complaint cases Monday, covering sectors such as travel agencies, e-bike sharing, online shopping and express delivery.

1. Shanghai Consumer Council received over 4,800 reports between January 2017 and February 2018 about Bula Travel, also known as Yuexing Information and Technology Co. Customers paid for discounted travel packages in advance via the business's WeChat, Weibo or app. But the tours were canceled without refunds. In March, Pudong prosecutors arrested Bula Travel management, who admitted that they had cheated 180 million yuan ($28.47 million) from their customers.

2. In September of 2017, Shanghai Consumer Council received many reports about Shanghai Cuiyuan International Travel Agency. The company collected between 100,000 yuan and 300,000 yuan from its customers as outbound travel security deposits. According to their contracts, the company must return the money within a certain period. However, it made excuses and refused to return the money. Authorities found that the company had been embezzling the money.

3. Shanghai Tengniu E-commerce Co, a housekeeping service, received deposits via its app from customers but never provided these services nor refunded them. The company's app eventually stopped working and the managers disappeared. Based on this case, the Shanghai Consumer Council called for new regulations to prevent start-up companies that maintain their early operations with advanced payments from disappearing without providing services.

4. In 2017, the city's consumer rights protection office received 4,004 reports against Shanghai Xiangqi Electric Vehicle Service Co, an e-bike sharing business. In January of 2018, the business received an additional 905 complaints about being overcharged, delayed refunds or poor after-sales service.

5. Customers reported 39 complaints during first seven months of 2017 that Beita Gym in Minhang district had not opened its swimming pool as promised, yet refused to refund customers, making the excuse of having sold their gym to another company.

6. Shanghai Star Automobile Trade Co received a 100,000 yuan deposit in April from a customer for a car, but did not hand over the vehicle to him. The company was ordered to return the deposit and make additional compensation.

7. Online shopping scams are also increasing with the rise of e-commerce. In November of 2017, over 60 consumers complained that they had been tricked into buying fake sports shoes via a Weibo account named Shanghai Aolai Mall, but could not get in touch with the sellers for a refund. Shanghai Consumer Council reminded consumers to be cautious when purchasing products or services on the internet.

8. Shanghai Xinhang Travel Agency charged a customer 2,040 yuan for an airplane ticket from Tokyo to Shanghai in November, then told the lady that her flight had been changed and gave her another ticket. Later, authorities found neither of the tickets were standard-issue. The first ticket had been exchanged with credit points and the second ticket was for a different route, meaning the lady was not entitled to a reschedule nor a refund, allowing the business to pocket her money

9. Another case about online shopping involved Jingmi Digital Products Store. Over 10 consumers found that the "new" phones they had purchased from the store's branches on different online shopping platforms were actually used.

10. The only case about express delivery reported in 2017 was ANE Co. Shanghai Consumer Council received 162 complaints about delivery delays, missing parcels and poor compensation.

(This story was based on a report on Shanghai municipal government's official WeChat account.)

Source: Global Times

Editor: dora