Source: Shenzhen Municipal Council
The probability of the blind box hidden money drawing is unknown, the product distribution rules are unknown, and there is a suspicion of infringing on the consumer's right to know - this is the "hand-made blind box" consumer supervision survey results recently released by the Shenzhen Municipal Consumer Commission.
Only a few merchants announced the probability of winning the hidden money draw
Blind box, that is, to place different products in the box, consumers can not open the box when purchasing, all by luck to draw the goods, this unexpected mystery has attracted many young people. Industry research reports show that among the most "money-burning" hobbies after 95, "hand-made blind boxes" ranked first.
While blind boxes are popular, some of the problems that accompany them cannot be ignored. From January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, the Shenzhen Municipal And District Consumer Council received a total of 314 complaints about blind boxes, which not only had problems with products, services, and quality of ordinary goods, but also a type of sales rule problem unique to the blind box economy. To this end, the Shenzhen Municipal Consumer Commission selected the "hand-made blind box" with high popularity in the blind box consumer market to carry out the survey, and organized consumer questionnaire surveys online, visited physical stores offline, and surveyed the sales of "hand-made blind boxes" online.
A total of 158 valid answers were obtained in the survey, and the survey results showed that 89% of consumers had purchased blind boxes; 58% of consumers had encountered situations where advertising campaigns by blind box operators did not match the actual situation; 31% of consumers purchased more than 20 blind boxes to draw their favorite styles. The main problems encountered by consumers in the process of blind box consumption are false publicity, excessive marketing, product quality and after-sales service.
In addition to the questionnaire survey, the Shenzhen Municipal Consumer Council also visited 4 large shopping malls in Shenzhen and investigated 6 well-known "handmade blind boxes" brands. The survey found that physical stores usually stipulate that goods are "sold without return and exchange"; "hand-made blind boxes" have hidden money, some operators will publish hidden money patterns, and only individual brand operators will announce the probability of hidden money drawings. At the same time, through online malls, mini programs and apps and other channels, the Shenzhen Municipal Consumer Commission investigated a total of 11 "hand-made blind box" operators, and found that all operators promised to keep the packaging confidential, replace the missing money if the purchase of the whole box is not repeated or duplicated, and there is a probability of drawing hidden money; some operators promise to include hidden money or rare money in the whole set of sales of "hand-made blind boxes". Through investigation and analysis, the Shenzhen Consumer Commission found that in addition to a few brand operators announcing the "hand-made blind box" hidden money drawing rate, other business operators under investigation said that there was a "probability of winning the hidden money", but did not clarify the specific probability of the hidden money, suspected of infringing on the consumer's right to know.
Some blind boxes do not support seven-day returns without a reason
The production ratio between the "hand-made blind box" operator in accordance with the pre-set conventional model and the hidden model, as well as the subsequent packaging rules and delivery rules in the distribution process, will affect the probability of consumers purchasing the favorite "handmade blind box" style, affecting the vital interests of consumers, but the operator has not made these clear, and this opaque product sales method is also suspected of infringing on the consumer's right to know.
Through the investigation, the Shenzhen Consumer Council found that 9 operators did not support the return of goods without reason for seven days, and 2 operators did not support the return and exchange of goods without reason after the goods were unsealed. For the operator does not support the provisions of return refund, the Shenzhen Consumer Council believes that the blind box does have its particularity, and the selling point of the blind box in addition to the goods in the box also has the characteristics of whether to draw the center instrument style, which has a stimulus similar to "winning the lottery", but this particularity cannot be the reason why the operator does not support the seven-day no reason to return. Before the consumer unseals the "handmade blind box", he has the right to request a refund for the return without affecting the second sale of the goods. In the process of selling blind boxes, business operators do not distinguish between the reasons and time nodes for consumer return refunds, and adopt the form of "one size fits all" to exclude the right of return refund enjoyed by consumers, and such standard terms should be invalid clauses.
The Shenzhen Municipal Consumer Commission also reminds blind box merchants to operate legally and in good faith, avoid exaggerating publicity and inducing consumption when publicizing and marketing, and at the same time disclose the relevant rules for blind box sales to protect consumers' right to know according to law. Operators should ensure the quality of goods, do a good job in after-sales service, and jointly maintain a good market environment.
● Consumption tips
It is necessary to improve the awareness of risk prevention and rational consumption. The audience of the blind box is mainly teenagers, and their ability to identify and prevent market risks is relatively low. Consumers should avoid the "gambler" mentality in the process of consumption, and must not be overly addicted and follow the trend. In the process of consumption, the hidden money lottery rate announced by the operator, the online evaluation and its own economic ability should be comprehensively considered. Before purchasing, you should carefully review the sales rules, understand the real situation of the goods, and maintain a clear head and good judgment.
Choose honest and high-quality merchants, and consume with peace of mind. In the context of "blind boxes for all things", it is not excluded that unscrupulous operators "hang sheep's heads and sell dog meat" and deceive consumers under the guise of blind boxes. Consumers should have the basic ability to distinguish, and should choose operators with good brand reputation, complete qualifications and transparent sales rules for consumption.
Keep your vouchers. In the process of blind box consumption, pay attention to keeping payment vouchers, operator advertising leaflets or slogans, chat records with store customer service, etc. If a business operator infringes on consumers' right to know, fails to guarantee after-sales service, or false publicity, it is necessary to consult with the operator in a timely manner. If the two parties are unable to reach a settlement, consumers may bring evidence materials to the relevant departments to complain or file a lawsuit to protect their legitimate rights and interests in accordance with the law.