Nowadays, with the boom of e-commerce, more and more people choose to shop online. However, with it comes a series of hidden dangers to consumption. This article will discuss the recent incident of 500 grams of melon seed desiccant weighing 151 grams exposed by buyers, and use this as an introduction to reveal the hidden problems behind it and trigger people's thinking about the after-sales service and product quality of online stores.
Recently, after receiving a bag of melon seed desiccant labeled as 500 grams, a buyer found that its actual weight was less than 151 grams, and exposed this on the Internet. Subsequently, the buyer asked the customer service of the online store, and the customer service replied: "The desiccant is heavy and useless." The reply sparked a heated discussion on social media. Is what happened to the buyer an exception or a common phenomenon? Desiccants, as the name suggests, are generally used to absorb moisture and protect the quality of goods. It usually takes the form of paper bags or pouches containing moisture absorbents, which are placed in the merchandise to remove or reduce the moisture of the product. However, the issue of desiccant related to the weight of the product has received relatively little attention. So, is there a correlation between the weight calculation of the desiccant and the quality of the product?
To be clear, the weight of the desiccant itself does not affect the actual quality of the product. The main responsibility of a desiccant is to absorb moisture, so its moisture content and ability to absorb moisture are more important indicators than weight. Let's take a common silica gel desiccant as an example, under normal circumstances, its moisture content is 5-7%, and the moisture absorption capacity is 30-40%. In other words, if the weight of a desiccant is 100 grams, its water content is only 5-7 grams, and its moisture absorption capacity is only 30-40 grams. Therefore, the weight of the desiccant itself does not have a direct impact on the calculation of the net weight of the product. A desiccant is a hygroscopic agent that delays or prevents the deterioration of the hygroscopic item by absorbing moisture from the air. In the food industry, desiccant is often used in containers or packaging to maintain the freshness and quality of food. The gram weight of the desiccant refers to the amount of desiccant, which is usually measured in grams. The weight of the gram directly affects the moisture absorption capacity of the desiccant. In general, the higher the gram weight of the desiccant, the stronger the moisture absorption capacity.
Although the weight of the desiccant does not affect the quality of the product, the situation exposed by the buyer is a cause for thought. Pay attention to the weight of the desiccant, which actually reflects the problem of after-sales service in the online store. First of all, this incident hints at the possibility of shoddy quality for some unscrupulous merchants. If there is a serious shortage of weight in the desiccant purchased by the buyer, then it is likely that the merchant deliberately provided the buyer with defective products in order to reduce costs. In this case, the merchant will often deny the buyer's doubts on the grounds that "the weight of the desiccant is useless". This incident is a complaint about the quality of the online store's after-sales service. Although the weight of the desiccant has nothing to do with the actual quality of the product, the reply from the online store's customer service did not provide a reasonable answer, but rather obscured the responsibilities of both parties to the transaction. This point needs to be taken seriously. Customer service staff should have professional knowledge and be able to clearly explain the customer's questions and solve the problem for the customer.
The main ingredient in most desiccant is silica gel or food grade silica gel, which has a strong moisture absorption ability. The more silica gel particles in the desiccant, the more significant the moisture absorption effect. The gram weight of the desiccant determines the amount of water it is able to absorb. In general, the weight of the desiccant should be sufficient to ensure that all the moisture in the packaging is absorbed. If the desiccant does not weigh enough, it may not be able to fully absorb the moisture inside the package, resulting in moisture in the food. Therefore, the weight of the desiccant in grams is not inconsequential, it is essential to keep food dry and fresh.
In order to protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, we can learn from the following methods. First, establish a regulatory mechanism. Relevant government departments should strengthen the supervision of e-commerce platforms and strengthen the control of product quality, so that malicious merchants have no opportunity to take advantage of it. Strengthen information disclosure. E-commerce platforms should provide complete product information and clearly mark relevant parameters and ingredients, so that consumers can clearly understand the goods they are purchasing. Strengthen after-sales service. The e-commerce platform handles consumer complaints in a timely and proper manner and provides truly intimate after-sales service. Customer service staff should provide professional answers and take responsibility for solving problems. It is also crucial to cultivate consumers' awareness of self-protection. Consumers should choose a merchant carefully when shopping, not only paying attention to the quality and price of the product, but also the reputation and after-sales service of the merchant.
The incident of the mismatch in the weight of the desiccant has led us to think about the after-sales service and the quality of the goods in our online stores. In order to protect the rights and interests of consumers, in addition to the strengthening of government supervision, e-commerce platforms and consumers themselves also need to work together. Only in this way can we truly achieve a fair, honest and safe consumption environment in the era of e-commerce.