Guangdong Provincial Consumer Council issued a reminder to guard against the "psychological service" consumption trap
The woman spent 15900 yuan for emotional consultation
Yangcheng Evening News reporter Ma Can and correspondent Guangdong Consumer News reported: Mental health counseling is now widely accepted by the society, and with the diversification of business models, online mental health counseling, intimate relationship restoration, companionship and listening have all become business opportunities .
On August 17, the Consumer Council of Guangdong Province issued a consumer reminder that in recent years, with social development and the people's emphasis on mental health and mental health, the demand for mental health counseling has continued to increase, which has driven the rapid development of my country's mental health industry.
Relevant data show that there are now 130,000 companies nationwide that include psychological counseling.
Behind the rapid development of the industry, due to the lack of unified standards and the lack of defined standards for the effectiveness of mental health services, incidents that infringe on consumer rights are more likely to occur.
Case: spent more than 10,000 yuan and was upgraded by a fool's package
Recently, Ms. Tang complained to the Consumer Council of Guangdong Province that she sought consultation through an emotional consulting service company in order to restore the relationship with her ex-boyfriend.
Analysts of the company said that it is not difficult to recover, and recommended a two-month emotional personal education service, promising professional teachers to provide half an hour guidance service every day, other time periods can be online consultation, unsatisfied with the service can be refunded.
Miss Tang paid 15,900 yuan for the related service.
The next day, a person who claimed to be a professional teacher contacted Ms. Tang and provided her with the first consultation service. When Ms. Tang made an offer for consultation for the second day, the teacher said that there was no time for the next day, and the appointment time was A week later, the online chat service teacher often did not reply to messages.
In addition, shortly after the consultation started, the relevant teacher said that Miss Tang had a serious psychological problem and needed to extend the consultation time to induce her to change to a higher service package.
Ms. Tang believes that the package she purchased was recommended by the analyst after evaluation in advance. It is very unreasonable to ask her to continue to pay before completing the treatment. She only provided six services during the three-week treatment, which seriously violated the contract. Ms. Tang ask for refund.
The consulting company stated that the related services are knowledge services and cannot be refunded.
After receiving the complaint, the staff of the Guangdong Provincial Consumer Council communicated with the emotional consulting company many times, and finally the other party agreed to deduct the fees for the class, and the remaining part was returned by the consumer after 15% of the responsibility.
Reminder 1: Know the credit information of the consulting agency clearly
The reporter learned that in 2017, the state cancelled the professional qualification certificate of psychological counselors, which lowered the entry barrier for practitioners.
At present, some training and certification agencies do not have uniform standards and requirements for the skills training books for practitioners.
In this regard, the Guangdong Provincial Consumer Council reminds consumers that they must remain vigilant when facing the promotion of these "professional certificates" and do not trust them credulously.
The relevant person in charge of the Guangdong Provincial Consumer Council stated that if you really need to choose a socialized psychological counseling service, you should understand the credit information of the counseling agency in many ways. You can inquire through government websites or channels such as the corporate credit information publicity system to find out whether the psychological counseling agency is Has been included in the list of abnormal business operations, the list of companies with serious violations of law and dishonesty, and whether there have been administrative penalties or lawsuits for illegal acts.
Reminder 2: Avoid paying high service fees at one time
Psychological counseling services usually adopt the method of receiving payment in advance. The Consumer Council of Guangdong Province recommends that consumers choose to pay the consulting fees on a per-time basis, or specify the service content, service quality, and refund calculation method through a formal contract before payment, "avoid one-time Pay high service fees to reduce the risk of capital loss."
In addition, after purchasing psychological counseling services, consumers should pay attention to properly keeping evidence such as payment vouchers, contracts or agreements, leaflets, invoices, etc., to prepare for evidence for rights protection in the event of consumer disputes in the future.
Reminder 3: Prefer formal channels or public welfare organizations
The current psychological counseling service market needs to be further regulated. If there are psychological problems, unprofessional counseling will not work, and it may delay the time to receive formal treatment.
At present, all major hospitals in Guangdong Province have psychiatric departments or psychopsychiatric departments. The doctors are highly qualified and professional. Consumers should first choose the psychological consultation clinic of the hospital if necessary.
If you don't want to go to the hospital, it is best to choose the local college psychology college or mental health center.
For example, the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission announced the "List of Guangdong Provincial Psychological Assistance Public Welfare Hotlines", including Guangdong Mental Health Center, Guangdong Provincial Psychological Crisis Intervention Special Committee, 12355 Youth Voice, hospitals, universities, social workers and other psychological assistance Public welfare channels.