Now Shenzhen | February 14, 2022
THE number of prepaid consumption complaints in Shenzhen exceeded 42,600 last year, up 48.21 percent year on year, according to a report on consumer complaints in 2021 released by Shenzhen Consumer Council on Friday.
The complaints were mainly linked to education and training, bodybuilding, beauty salons, restaurants, housekeeping, health and baby swimming.
The top three sectors receiving the most prepaid complaints were education and training, fitness services, and beauty salons, according to the report.
In 2021, Shenzhen’s municipal and district consumer councils received 210,414 complaints in total, up 2.62 percent from the previous year, with prepaid consumption complaints accounting for 23.8 percent of the total.
The top five industries that received the most complaints were internet and communication services, education and training, computer and digital products, culture, tourism and sports, and cosmetics and beauty.
However, the number of complaints specifically on internet and communications, and computer and digital sectors went down over 25 percent year on year. It was mainly due to fewer people complaining about telecom products like mobile phones and social media account bans.
Consumers made about 799 complaints last year regarding flight cancellations and ticket refunds due to the pandemic.
Some businesses were found luring consumers with cheap price offers first and then having consumers buy expensive packages or apply for consumption loans.
One case in point is for a consumer who went to a beauty shop for an anti-acne beauty service for 15 yuan (US$2.36). The consumer also bought an anti-acne package priced at 8,300 yuan upon recommendation by the shop’s staffers, according to Shenzhen Economic Daily.
Unfortunately, the consumer’s skin didn’t improve two months later, and the staffers recommended another package for 5,000 yuan, still not yielding any results. The consumer was said to have paid for the packages via a consumption loan.
Shenzhen Consumer Council has encouraged consumers to stay rational and read contract clauses carefully when using loans to pay for beauty services.
Article from: SHENZHEN DAILY