41 complaints recorded by Consumer Council at CNY

The Consumer Council (CC) provided a hotline service to consumers between Feb. 4 to 10, receiving a total of 56 inquiries and complaints (of which 41 were complaints) during the one-week Spring Festival holiday

Among the 41 complaints, 17 were lodged by citizens regarding outbound travel and the prices of products, and 24 were lodged by tourists, according to a statement released this week.

The CC has offered assistance to consumers and followed up with hotline inquiries, referring some cases on to other government departments.

About 30 percent of all complaints involved tourists complaining about taxi services. Six complaints were made about the quality of clothing and apparel, with another six on the customer service of food and beverage outlets.

The majority of the complainants were tourists.

In 2018, the Council received 2,290 complaints and 2,753 inquiries, totaling 5,043 cases, of which 1,299 were lodged by tourists.

The total number of cases in the top 5 complaint categories amounts to 35 percent overall. The top 5 categories relate to jewelry (201 cases), public transportation (166 cases), food and beverage (163 cases), personal care products and services (148 cases), and food services (144 cases).

About 75 percent of the complaints were about public transportation, amounting to 126 cases of overcharging and poor service by taxi drivers. The number of cases in this category has increased by 40 percent compared to 2017.

A 60 percent increase in complaint cases was recorded in 2018 in the food and beverage category compared to that of 2017, while a 70 percent increase in complaints was also recorded in food and beverage services Among all cases received in 2018 under public services, over 20 cases related to issues with electronic payments.

A 57 percent increase in the number of complaints on personal care products and services was recorded, many of which concerned the aggressive telemarketing strategies used by shops.

The number of complaints on telecommunication services continued to decrease, with only 6 cases lodged in 2018.