Holiday complaints down by more than 50%

Shanghai Consumer Council received 549 complaints during the Labor Day holiday, with online shopping, tourism, culture and entertainment topping the list, the council said on Thursday.

The number of complaints was 51.7 percent lower than in the same period last year. Almost 60 percent were about services with the rest about commodities, it said.

There were 185 complaints about online shopping.

Promotions that didn’t match the products, cancellation of orders using coupons and slow deliveries drew the most complaints, it said.

The increasing number of spring outings and driving tours to neighboring cities during the holiday sparked 86 complaints, the council said. 

Most were about rented vehicles breaking down, failure to reach tourist attractions due to traffic controls, delays in ticket refunds and changes to flights, it said.

Another 53 complaints were about culture and entertainment spending with online games and physical fitness and exercise programs popular due to COVID-19, the council said.

Games accounts being blocked for no reason and disputes over refunds were major complaints, while for fitness and sports, there was concern over high commission fees related to refunds, the council said.