Zhongxin Finance, March 15 (Zuo Yuqing) Asking for the return and exchange of problem goods is the rights and interests that consumers should be protected. However, for many blind box buyers, the problem of blind boxes returning to the factory can only be exchanged for a chicken feather.
A number of consumers said on the social platform that the hidden blind box of the bubble mart "SKULLPANDA Night City Series" purchased by themselves in the regular channel returned to the factory due to defects, but it was identified as "non-genuine" by the official customer service and refused to replace.
Why does a good genuine product become a fake in the process of returning to the factory?
Change the cold and do not exchange the heat of the overlord clause
In response to the problem of identifying the "SKULLPANDA Night City Series" genuine blind box as a fake, Bubble Mart told China News Finance that it has settled with the vast majority of consumers and carried out normal after-sales service. Bubble Mart said that the main reason for refusing to exchange after-sales is because different batches of goods come from multiple factories, and there are subtle differences, resulting in poor information.
However, Zhongxin Finance noted that this is not the first time that Bubble Mart has refused to return defective products. As early as last year, there were consumers who said that there was a hegemonic clause in the after-sales service of Bubble Mart. On a complaint platform, there have been more than 8,000 complaints about Bubble Mart, in addition to the express delivery problem, most of the problems reflected by consumers are concentrated in several aspects: non-delivery and non-return, poor quality control, refusal to exchange defective products and false publicity.
The number of complaints about Bubble Mart on a complaint platform.
According to consumer complaints, bubble mart refuses to exchange blind box products mainly focus on popular styles and hidden styles. "Obviously, the goods are in normal sales, but the customer service insists that there are no spares in the warehouse, and they will either refund or exchange them for other blind boxes." Some consumers even complained that even if they purchased a new blind box, customer service was only allowed to replace it with an ordinary blind box of the old product three months ago.
Due to the particularity of blind box products, the market price of popular and hidden styles is often several times higher than the price, so almost no consumers can accept this return and exchange program. In contrast, the blind box style with a second-hand price below the price is a long-term spare product.
A consumer posted an after-sales conversation on a social platform.
"I asked customer service if you think I would be willing to exchange a high-priced hot model for a low-priced one?" But customer service said that they do not look at the market price but only look at the original price. Some consumers asked: "Why can't there be normal registration and waiting for replacement without spare parts?" ”
In this regard, Mr. An Xiang, director of Beijing Dexiang Law Firm, said that in the special trading mode of blind boxes, the seller forcibly replaces the goods against the principle of fairness and reasonableness, if there is spare parts, it should be replaced with new spare parts that meet the quality requirements, if there is no spare part, it should refer to the market price to compensate consumers.
"Schrödinger" after-sales rules
Even if the flawed blind box purchased can be replaced, many consumers are still trapped in the strange circle of after-sales rules.
Recording unboxing videos was originally a way for blind box players to share unboxing surprises on social platforms, and some consumers used it as a genuine basis for the second-hand market to change hands. Out of trust in merchants, few people will use it as a proof of consumption in the official purchase channel. However, in the after-sales service of Bubble Mart, it is required to use the unboxing video as an indispensable after-sales evidence.
On social platforms, some consumers said that customer service refused to exchange goods on the grounds that their unboxing videos were incomplete. According to customer service requirements, the unboxing video must record all six sides of the package completely, but when the flagship store of the Bubble Mart e-commerce platform describes the after-sales service, it does not make detailed provisions for the unboxing video, and its mini program does not prompt consumers to record the unboxing video.
Flagship stores do not make detailed provisions for unboxing videos in their after-sales service.
"From the perspective of the relationship between the buyer and the seller, the consumer is not obliged to use the unboxing video to prove it, and Bubble Mart should not refuse the consumer's return and exchange request on the grounds of 'no unboxing video' or 'incomplete unboxing video'." Lawyer An Xiang said.
When Calling Bubble Mart customer service to ask after-sales questions, Zhongxin Finance found that when asked about the provisions of the unboxing video or the specific after-sales process, the customer service avoided talking about it several times, only repeatedly asking for the order number, and then the commissioner was responsible for the follow-up process.
"If you don't look at the after-sales strategies on the social platform, just follow the process of customer service taking one step before saying one step, you will be delayed for a long time on the issue of replacement." A consumer told Zhongxin Finance that after applying for a replacement, it often waits for a long time, and many times it will only wait for the reply that there is no spare part and can only be refunded.
Blind boxes cannot be "blind rules"
"Gambling" is an important psychological factor for many consumers to be keen on blind boxes, and Bubble Mart has been able to develop rapidly and successfully list. However, in many chaos such as low quality control, after-sales difference, sky-high price blind boxes and black box resale, the joy of consumers when they open the box is gradually exhausted. "Don't go near the blind box, it will be unfortunate." It has become a self-deprecating self-deprecation for many blind box players.
Infographic: Bubble Mart unmanned vending machine. Photo by Zhang Yichen
"At present, the mainland does not have separate laws and regulations for blind box operation." An Xiang lawyer told China News Network that the process of blind box sales should be fair and reasonable, but due to the particularity of blind box goods, consumers are unable to know the content of the goods to implement the purchase behavior, so consumers actually lose the right to choose and the right to know.
"Under this kind of market chaos, merchants can arbitrarily set purchase rules to stimulate consumption, and even drive the speculation of the secondary market, which will cause damage to the rights and interests of consumers." (End)