Hotels, catering top list of holiday gripes

The city's market watchdog received more than 700 complaints during the Spring Festival holiday with hotels and catering, transportation, and culture and entertainment related issues topping the list, officials said on Wednesday.

A total of 139 grievances out of 744 complaints received by the 12315 hotline were about hotels and catering, with another 35 related to tourism service, according to the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Administrative Bureau. Transportation problems drew 58 complaints.

The gripes were triggered by a travel boom during the holiday, said bureau officials, with disputes including online booking of hotels, online food delivery services, transport ticketing, and online tourism package orders and service.

A tourist complained the room at a beach resort in Boracay, the Philippines, which he booked online did not match the promotion, while another tourist said the operator of a one-day tour in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, failed to provide meals and pick-up services as promised, the bureau said.

In total, 54 complaints related to culture and entertainment — mainly amusement venue services, cinemas and KTV — were clocked in, compared with 38 during the same period last year, it added.

A consumer, who spent 1,746 yuan (US$269), complained about the curtailed number of entertainment items and performances at an amusement venue, saying it infringed upon his consumer rights. A movie-goer was angry that he was forced to buy 3D spectacles when watching a film, while another patron complained about the 100-plus yuan extra charge for a pre-paid karaoke package.

There were seven complaints over nianyefan (Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner) and food delivery. A consumer who had booked three tables for the dinner with a deposit found to his dismay that the restaurant was closed on the night.