Holiday consumer complaints jump 21 percent

Shanghai's market watchdog received 5,527 complaints during the five-day Labor Day holiday, up 21 percent from the same period last year, with clothing and shoes, Internet services, home furnishings, food and computer products topping the list. 

A total of 4,420 complaints, or 80 percent of the total, concerned online consumption, a rise of 22 percent from the same period last year partially because of the Double Five Shopping Festival, the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation said.

Issues related to after-sales service, contract fulfillment and product quality also drew consumer ire, the administration said. 

Complaints over Internet games heated up too, the administration said. 

Authorities received 523 complaints over Internet games during the holiday, and most were about blocked game accounts, operation failures and unreasonable charges, the administration said. 

One consumer said he paid 300 yuan (US$42.50) for a one-month subscription to an Internet game, only to find that his account was blocked recently and customer service staff did not explain why.

Another 275 complaints were related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as refund disputes over tourism and face masks, a major decrease as the crisis in China wanes, the administration said.