Consumer complaints rise significantly in first half of year

The Shanghai Consumer Council recorded a rise in complaints of more than 40 percent in the first half of this year, with clothing, home appliances, education training and transportation services topping the list. 

In total, the council and its branches citywide received 95,275 complaints during the period, an increase of 40.7 percent from the same period last year, the council revealed today.

Clothing and shoes, household items and home appliances drew the most complaints in terms of commodities, while transportation, culture, entertainment and sports, and education training were the three areas with the most complaints related to services.

The number of complaints for commodities accounted for 40.6 percent of the total and services 59.4 percent.

Among these complaints, 22,851 concerned online shopping, with the number regarding clothing, hats and shoes surging 62.8 percent from the same period last year.

The booming development of the online economy and various promotional activities were the backdrop of many complaints, the council said.

Quality problems, random cancellations of orders and poor after-sales services drew the ire of consumers.

The number of complaints related to home appliances soared 60 percent from the same period last year, most of which concerned operation failures and repair-price disputes.

There has been an increasing number of complaints about smart home appliances, such as dishwashers and robot vacuums, as they are becoming more popular, as well as false promotions and quality problems.

Another 5,913 complaints regarded education training, up 13 percent over last year.

Promotional exaggerations to lure consumers, unsatisfactory teaching quality and refund disputes were major problems in the field.

Automobiles drew more than 3,400 complaints, growing 37.6 percent from the same period last year, with quality, contract disputes and after-sales services leading the pack.

Complaints about new-energy autos also grew, as consumers complained about battery quality and false promotions.

Beauty salons were another hotbed of complaints, surging 52.5 percent from the same period last year, mainly regarding prepaid card disputes.