On April 22, the China Consumers Association released the Annual Report on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests in China (2021). According to the report, the consumption of new energy intelligent vehicles has caused new problems in rights protection, and in 2021, the National Consumer Association accepted more than 40,000 complaints about automobiles and parts, an increase of nearly 20 percentage points compared with 2020. In particular, tesla rights protection incidents were named.
According to the report, car complaints are mainly manifested in the following aspects:
The first is the safety of the car, such as sudden acceleration during driving, flameout, oil leakage, engine noise, brake steering failure, etc. The existence of these problems shows that relevant producers and operators need to continuously enhance their awareness of quality and safety responsibility and quality integrity and self-discipline, and promote the continuous improvement of product and service quality.
Second, there are many new problems in the consumption disputes of new energy intelligent vehicles, and there are difficulties in safeguarding rights. For example, there are problems such as driving interruption, mileage shrinkage, auxiliary automatic driving system failure, battery charging failure and other disputes to varying degrees.
On April 19, 2021, a video of a car owner defending his rights on the roof of a Tesla booth at the Shanghai Auto Show was widely disseminated on the Internet, and the relevant person in charge of Tesla Company caused controversy. With the development of the situation, the State Administration of Market Regulation, the China Consumers Association and other relevant departments have spoken out one after another to respond to public concerns. At the Guangzhou Auto Show in November 2021, there was also a situation where car owners defended their rights on the spot. The phenomenon of rights protection in auto shows has appeared repeatedly, reflecting that consumers still have pain points, difficulties and blockages in the field of automobiles, especially in the field of intelligent and connected vehicles.
Third, the second-hand car sales information is inconsistent with the actual situation, and the quality of the car after the transaction occurs. Operators delay in performing or do not fulfill after-sales service commitments, maintenance efficiency is low, the effect is poor, the same fault multiple maintenance can not solve the problem, consumers frequently go back and forth to the 4S store, time-consuming and laborious.
Fourth, the price increase in addition to the clear price can be picked up, which has become the "unspoken rule" of some high-end and "tight" models. However, the dealer will not appear in the sales agreement with the word "mark-up", will not issue an invoice to the consumer after the mark-up, or stipulate that the mark-up part needs to pay additional money to supplement the invoice tax point. The existence of the problem of price plus indicates that the relevant supply methods are extensive and the structure is not entirely reasonable, and it is impossible to accurately match and fully meet the diversified needs of consumers. At the same time, it also shows that the cost of violating the law is still relatively low, and it is difficult to completely suppress the impulse to violate the law.
On April 21, the China Consumer Association issued a view on the Tesla consumer rights protection incident, hoping that the enterprises involved would actively cooperate with the investigation, take the initiative to provide data and information, properly handle consumer disputes, and effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
