Zhongxin Finance, March 15 (Zuo Yuqing) Requesting the return and replacement of problematic products is the right of consumers that should be protected.
However, for many blind box buyers, returning the defective blind box to the factory can only exchange for a piece of chicken feathers.
A number of consumers said on social platforms that the hidden blind box of Bubble Mart "SKULLPANDA Night City Series" purchased through regular channels was returned to the factory due to defects, but was identified as "non-genuine" by official customer service and refused to replace it. .
A good genuine product, why does it become a fake during the process of returning to the factory?
The overlord clause of exchanging cold and not exchanging heat
In response to the problem of identifying the genuine blind box of the "SKULLPANDA Night City Series" as a fake, Bubble Mart told Zhongxin Finance that it had reconciled 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 sale is because different batches of goods come from multiple factories, and there are subtle differences, resulting in poor information.
However, Zhongxin Finance noticed that this is not the first time that Bubble Mart has refused to return or exchange defective products.
As early as last year, consumers continued to say that there is an overlord 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 express delivery issues, most of the problems reported by consumers focus on non-delivery and non-return, poor quality control, refusal to exchange defective products and false publicity several aspects.
The number of complaints about Bubble Mart on a complaint platform.
According to consumer complaints, the blind box products that Bubble Mart refuses to exchange mainly focus on popular styles and hidden styles.
"It is clear that the product is being sold normally, but the customer service insists that the warehouse has no spare parts, and either refunds or replaces it with another blind box." Some consumers even complained that even if they bought a new blind box, the customer service only allowed three replacements. The old ordinary blind box from months ago.
Due to the particularity of blind box products, the market price of popular styles and hidden styles is often several times higher than the list price, so few consumers can accept this return plan.
In contrast, blind box styles with second-hand prices that are lower than the list price have long-term spares.
After-sales conversations posted by a consumer on social platforms.
"I asked the customer service, do you think I would like to replace the high-priced popular model with a low-priced unpopular model? But the customer service said that they don't look at the market price but only look at the original price." Some consumers questioned this: "Why can't I register and wait for replacement without spare parts? "
In this regard, lawyer An Xiang, director of Beijing Dexiang Law Firm, said that under the special transaction mode of the blind box, it is against the principle of fairness and reasonableness for the seller to forcibly replace the goods. If there are spare parts, they should be replaced with new ones that meet the quality requirements. If there are no spare parts, the consumer should be compensated with reference to the market price.
"Schrödinger" after-sales rules
Even if the defective blind box purchased can be replaced, many consumers are still caught in the vicious 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 use it as a genuine basis for resale in the second-hand market.
And out of trust in merchants, few people will use it as a consumption certificate in official purchase channels.
However, in the after-sales service of Bubble Mart, the unpacking video is required as an indispensable after-sales evidence.
On social platforms, some consumers said that the customer service refused to exchange the goods on the grounds that their unpacking videos were incomplete.
According to customer service requirements, the unpacking video must be recorded on all six sides of the package. However, when the flagship store of the Bubble Mart e-commerce platform describes the after-sales service, there is no detailed regulation for the unpacking video, and its small program is more There is no hint to consumers that a video of the unboxing needs to be recorded.
The flagship store does not make detailed regulations on the unpacking video in the after-sales service.
"From the perspective of the relationship between buyers and sellers, consumers are not obliged to use unboxing videos to prove, and Bubble Mart should not refuse to consume on the grounds of 'no unboxing videos' or 'incomplete unboxing videos' The return and exchange requirements of the owner." An Xiang lawyer said.
When Zhongxin Finance called Bubble Mart customer service to ask about after-sales questions, they found that when asked about the regulations about unpacking videos or the specific after-sales process, the customer service avoided talking several times, only repeatedly asked for the order number, and then the commissioner asked for it. to be responsible for the follow-up process.
"If you don't look at the after-sales strategies on social platforms, and just follow the process that the customer service takes 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 takes a long time, and many times it will only wait for a reply that there is no spare parts 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, so Bubble Mart has developed rapidly and successfully launched.
However, in the chaos of low quality control, poor after-sale service, sky-high price blind boxes and black box reselling, the joy of consumers at the moment of unboxing is gradually exhausted.
"Don't get close to the blind box, you will become unfortunate." It has become a self-deprecation of many blind box players.
Data map: Bubble Mart unmanned vending machine.
Photo by Zhang Yichen
"There are currently no separate laws and regulations for the operation of blind boxes in my country." Lawyer An Xiang told Chinanews that the process of blind box sales should be fair and reasonable, but due to the particularity of blind box products, consumers are unable to know Therefore, consumers actually lose the right to choose and know.
"Under this kind of market chaos, merchants can arbitrarily set purchasing rules to stimulate consumption, and even drive hype in the secondary market, which will damage consumers' rights and interests." (End)