On April 19, Nandu reporter noticed that the blind box App "Yuanqi Tribe" changed the lottery mechanism of the blind box prize pool without authorization, resulting in a probability of winning the lottery that was inconsistent with the publicity, during which the total number of blind boxes sold exceeded 280,000, and the total sales amount exceeded 34 million yuan. Its subsidiary, Chengdu Yumu E-commerce Co., Ltd., violated the relevant provisions of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law and was recently fined 600,000 yuan by the Market Supervision Bureau of Chengdu High-tech Zone in Sichuan Province and ordered to stop the illegal acts.
The probability of the prize is inaccurate and untrue, and the "Yuanqi Tribe" App is under investigation
The administrative penalty decision discloses more information. In December 2021, the Chengdu High-tech Zone Market Supervision Bureau successively received a number of complaints from consumers about Chengdu Yumu E-commerce Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Chengdu Yumu Company") suspected of unfair competition, consumer fraud and false publicity.
It is reported that Chengdu Yumu Company was established in January 2016, since July 2021, the company in the form of blind boxes in its mobile phone App "Yuanqi Tribe" to sell all kinds of goods, with a small amount of high price goods to attract consumers to buy.
Yuanqi Tribe App mainly has blind box lottery, commodity replacement, online shopping and other functions. In the blind box lottery module, there are as many as hundreds of kinds of blind box prize pools, such as "this box has gifts", "the table is the same", "Huawei stuffy bag", "donkey friends go out" pool, etc. All kinds of blind box prize pools are placed in the price of tens of yuan to 30,000 yuan of various types of goods, consumers can be 69 yuan to 1299 yuan in the corresponding price of the blind box prize pool to draw blind boxes.
On the "View Treasures" page of the Blind Box Lottery module, the probability of winning the prizes of each level is prominently marked, and the information about all the prizes in the prize pool is displayed. Chengdu High-tech Zone Market Supervision Bureau at that time found that in the "table as one" prize pool as an example, consumers pay 999/1299 yuan to buy a lottery opportunity, the ultimate prize is OMEGA (Omega), Longines (LONGINES), Radar (RADO) and other watches, the price of 29999 yuan to 12100 yuan. The prices of prizes of other classes gradually decrease, and the lowest price of the prize is a ROSSINI watch marked with a price of 1099 yuan. The probability of the draw is "Ultimate 0.04%, Premium 0.08%, Advanced 15.97%, Intermediate 67.87%, Junior 16.04%".
On January 6, 2022, the Market Supervision Bureau of Chengdu High-tech Zone conducted on-site inspection of Chengdu Yumu Company, and inspected and tested the lottery of multiple blind box prize pools. After preliminary investigation, the winning probability of each level of prize displayed in the Yuanqi Tribe App lottery page is inaccurate and untrue data. The act was suspected of violating the Advertising Law, and on January 7, the Chengdu High-tech Zone Market Supervision Bureau opened a case to investigate.
On January 19, the Chengdu High-tech Zone Market Supervision Bureau conducted a second on-site inspection, which was mainly aimed at the probability of winning the lottery advertised in the Yuanqi Tribe App, and the blind box prize pool named "Qimen Dunjia" was selected for inspection and testing.
The prize pool drew prizes but did not replenish them, and the company belonging to the Yuanqi tribe was fined 600,000 yuan
After investigation, in the Yuanqi Tribe App lottery page, the winning probability of various prizes in the prize pool is the static data calculated by Chengdu Yumu Company at the beginning of the setting of the prize pool, based on the percentage of each level of prizes in the total number of prizes in the prize pool, that is, the number of prizes of each level / the total number of prizes in the prize pool.
As of December 12, 2021, Chengdu Yumu Company will immediately supplement the corresponding prizes to a prize pool according to the specific prize drawn by consumers in the prize pool. However, from December 13, 2021 to February 3, 2022, it adjusted some of the operating rules and maintenance measures of the prize pool, setting the blind box prize pool for a maximum life cycle of three days, regardless of whether the prize pool is drawn or not, the prize pool will be emptied. Regardless of the prize drawn by the consumer in the prize pool, the prize will not be replenished to the prize pool until the prize pool prize is drawn or the life cycle of the prize pool is terminated. During the period, Chengdu Yumu Company sold 280587 blind boxes, with a total sales volume of 34047091 yuan.
Chengdu High-tech Zone Market Supervision Bureau proposed that as the blind box is continuously drawn by consumers, the percentage of each level of prizes in the total number of prizes in the prize pool is constantly changing dynamically, and Chengdu Yumu Company has not made corresponding real-time adjustments to the probability of winning the prize, nor has it made targeted supplements to the prizes drawn in the prize pool.
In addition, in the case that Chengdu Yumu Company did not fully explain the winning probability in the Yuanqi Tribe App lottery page and fulfill the obligation to inform, consumers with ordinary attention and cognition will think that this probability is the immediate winning probability of various prizes in the blind box prize pool. At the same time, the probability of winning the lottery, especially the size of the winning probability of the ultimate and special prizes, and whether it is true or not, will have a significant and substantial impact on the consumer's purchase behavior.
The Chengdu High-tech Zone Market Supervision Bureau believes that Chengdu Yumu Company has made an inaccurate and untrue introduction to the winning probability of the prizes of each level in its prize pool, which is a false or misleading commercial publicity on the sales status of its goods and its related information, deceiving and misleading consumers. In addition, during the implementation of its suspected illegal acts, the total number of blind boxes sold exceeded 280,000, the total sales amount exceeded 34 million yuan, the amount involved was large, the total number of misguided consumers was high, and the social impact was widespread, resulting in certain social harm consequences.
The above-mentioned acts violated the relevant provisions of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, and the Chengdu High-tech Zone Market Supervision Bureau decided to impose a fine of RMB 600,000 on Chengdu Yumu Company and ordered it to stop the illegal acts.
Written by: Nandu reporter Fang Shiqi
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