Consumer Complaints

Fraudulent healthcare products targeting elderly people topped the list of complaints from Chinese consumers in 2017, a survey showed on January 8.

Sham advertisements and quack medical experts have tricked many elderly people into buying fake products, leading to consumer complaints and tough measures from drug regulators, according to the survey, which was released by the China Consumers Association (CCA) and a public opinion monitoring center under People.cn.

A McKinsey report in November 2017 showed that Chinese consumer confidence reached a 10-year high in 2017, while the CCA survey showed that market development still lags behind consumers’ growing demand for better products and services, especially in online retail.

Micro-credit services targeting cash-strapped college students also drew public criticism as some microlending platforms forced borrowers to pay back deposits and interest by means of coercion or violence.

In June 2017, China’s top banking regulator and the ministries of education and human resources introduced strict measures to crack down on unscrupulous micro-credit services targeting campus consumers.

Bike-sharing became the third most complained about service last year as some companies had difficulty returning users’ deposits after fierce competition and overexpansion drained them financially.

Other major concerns for consumers in 2017 included food safety in online takeout services, hygiene in hotel rooms, price hikes by carhailing services and risks in prepaid card use.