Consumer Rights Weekly Report: Last week saw an increase in complaints regarding prepaid consumption, involving issues related to amusement park top-ups, matchmaking services, and more.

Last week, the public interaction platform “Service Pa” (https://tousu.thepaper.cn) noted an increase in consumer complaints regarding prepaid services, which involved children’s amusement parks, sports software, and dating websites.

One complaint came from a consumer named Ms. Chen, who stated that on August 4, she recharged 700 yuan at the Dream Horse Children’s Amusement Park located in Wanda Plaza, Xiangcheng District, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, with plans for long-term use. However, she recently discovered that the amusement park had closed and has not received a refund despite her requests.

In response to this dispute, The Paper contacted the operating head of Dream Horse Children’s Amusement Park, who refused to comment, saying, “I don’t want to disclose too much information.” A staff member, however, mentioned that the amusement park is managed by its “parent company,” Xiamen Clown Captain Amusement Park. An investigation into the business information revealed that Xiamen Clown Captain Information Technology Co., Ltd. was established on April 25, 2018, with a registered capital of 1 million yuan. The company was listed as operating unusually by the Xiamen Siming District Market Supervision Administration on May 26, 2023, due to inability to contact them at the registered address or operating premises. Moreover, the company is embroiled in multiple lawsuits. As of now, Ms. Chen has yet to receive her refund.

Resolved:
Regarding several complaints against Pinduoduo, Tongcheng Travel, and Kuaishou, a resolution was achieved after The Paper intervened, with both parties reaching an agreement.

No Response:
Complaints against companies such as Weishi Fitness, Huabei, and Tesla remain under negotiation.

Unresolved:
A consumer from Beijing, Mr. Han, reported that he purchased a round-trip flight ticket from Beijing to Shenzhen through the Flight Butler app for a total of 3,357 yuan on November 17. However, upon checking the Travel Union app, he discovered that the actual “price including tax” for his economy class ticket on November 29 was only 1,070 yuan, resulting in a 2,287 yuan discrepancy.

The investigation by The Paper revealed that instances where the actual ticket price was higher than the paid amount are not uncommon. Many consumers have reported similar experiences. “The real price of the ticket is always noted on the flight itinerary. Many consumers do not print the itinerary after purchasing tickets, which allows agents to ‘buy low and sell high for profit,’” said a consumer named Xiao Zhang.

In this regard, legal experts analyzed that if a ticket agent conceals the actual ticket price or provides false information, intentionally selling tickets at a price higher than the actual value, resulting in consumers paying above their true willingness, such behavior constitutes fraud. Consumers may demand “three times the refund” based on the Consumer Rights Protection Law.

As of now, no agreement has been reached between both parties.

Weekly Consumer Rights Update:
After participating in a running challenge, the platform announced bankruptcy, and consumers demanded refunds for the funds they recharged. Recently, a consumer named Ms. Sun reported that on March 8, July 17, and August 5 of 2024, she participated in three running challenges on the Lupa app, transferring a total of 12,588 yuan to the platform. According to the rules, successful challengers would receive a full refund of the challenge funds and corresponding prizes totaling 12,599 yuan. However, on December 3, the Lupa app unexpectedly announced that the company was facing bankruptcy and had stopped all challenge activities. The company would calculate refund amounts within 30 calendar days following the announcement, and users could contact relevant personnel regarding their refund amounts.

Ms. Sun believes that refund information does not need to be collected as it is clear on the platform, stating, “I think the platform just doesn’t want to refund. Currently, over 190 people have formed a rights protection group, with preliminary statistics showing unrefunded amounts exceeding 6 million yuan.”

In response to this dispute, The Paper called Lupa app, and a related responsible person stated that the company has filed for bankruptcy and is currently raising funds, “First, we will calculate the total amount needing to be refunded, and then we will contact users individually to sign a refund agreement.”

Man demands a refund after recharging nearly 180,000 yuan on a dating website, to which Jiayuan responded: negotiations will proceed. Recently, Mr. Wei from Shanghai reported that he registered as a member on the Jiayuan website in 2019 and signed contracts twice, totaling nearly 180,000 yuan in payment. However, the information provided about potential matches did not match reality, and the company failed to fulfill its commitment to extend service periods. “They said they would continue to match me with women until I succeeded, but the relevant staff have now left and do not answer calls.” Mr. Wei demanded a refund, but to no avail.

On December 10, a staff member who had signed the initial contract with Mr. Wei stated that she had left the company long ago and did not recall Mr. Wei, suggesting he contact Jiayuan. Jiayuan’s staff stated that after receiving customer complaints, they had passed the information to the relevant colleagues for follow-up. “On December 6, we provided some information to the involved parties, and both sides will further negotiate on the disputed content.”

Regarding multiple client managers claiming they are “no longer responsible due to leaving,” Jiayuan’s staff stated that they would verify the situation and handle it through higher management.

Weekly Consumer Warning:
The China Consumers Association reminds: minors should consume rationally and beware of consumer traps. On December 13, the association issued a consumption alert, urging minors to consume wisely and avoid impulsive buying.

The China Consumers Association explained that “谷子” (guzi), a term derived from “Goods,” refers to all peripheral products related to comics, animations, games, idols, special effects, and other copyrighted works. The act of purchasing these products is known as “eating guzi,” and communities formed around this market are referred to as “gu circles.” The gu circle market has shown strong growth in recent years, but it also brings new risks, including encouragement of impulsive consumption among minors, lack of regulation in private transactions, difficulties in rights protection for victims, and opportunities for scams.

The association calls on parents to educate children about anti-telecom fraud and to guide youths on proper internet usage. They should not casually share important information like verification codes or payment passwords with strangers. If threatened or deceived, they should inform their parents or report to the police immediately.

Additionally, minors are reminded to consume moderately and rationally, shop only from official websites or designated platforms, avoid private transactions that circumvent the platform, and refrain from scanning or clicking on QR codes or links provided by strangers. In case of fraud, they should retain relevant evidence to report to the platform and connect with other victims to file a report.

The association advocates for enterprises to strengthen industry self-regulation, adhere to relevant laws, and for online platforms to ensure accountability, eliminating misleading information related to impulsive consumption and online fraud.

It also calls on regulatory authorities to strictly combat illegal activities existing in the gu circle, ensuring that consumers’ legitimate rights and interests are not infringed upon.