Quality Problems Service Problems False Claims Not Delivered On Time
Which of these car consumption pits have you stepped on?
□ Our reporter Zhang Wei
Quality issues, service issues, false advertising, and late deliveries are the four main problems that plague car consumers.
Recently, the Beijing Sunshine Consumer Big Data Research Institute, the Consumer Protection Law Research Center of the University of International Business and Economics, and Consumer.com jointly released the "Research Report on Domestic Auto Consumer Rights Protection Public Opinion (2021)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report"). The above conclusions are drawn from the analysis and research on the public opinion data of automobile consumer rights protection.
Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, suggested that the supervision and punishment should be further strengthened, and the relevant departments should strengthen the disguised price increases, hidden charges, compulsory tying, false publicity, vehicle safety in the field of automobile sales. We will take effective measures to ensure market order and crack down on illegal behaviors; guide and standardize the development of the new energy vehicle industry, promote the continuous improvement of battery technology and supporting facilities, and conduct regular inspections of potential safety hazards to better protect consumption. owner's rights.
Car sales soar
Consumer complaints are on the rise
According to the statistics of the National Passenger Car Association, the retail sales of the domestic passenger vehicle market in 2021 will be 20.486 million units, a year-on-year increase of 4.5%; the more prominent is the retail sales of the new energy market, which will be 2.989 million units, a year-on-year increase of 169.1%.
As car sales continue to climb, car ownership has increased significantly.
In addition, according to the data released by the Traffic Administration of the Ministry of Public Security at the end of 2021, the number of motor vehicles in China will reach 393 million (more than 300 million vehicles), and the number of drivers will reach 479 million; more than 30 million motor vehicles are newly registered every year, and newly licensed drivers There are more than 20 million people, ranking first in the world in total and incremental.
What followed was a large number of complaints related to car consumption. Among them, gearboxes, tires, and false publicity issues were commonplace; smart chips, cruising range, and late delivery of vehicles became new issues.
On May 13, 2021, the Consumers Association of Gansu Province received a complaint from Ms. Fu, a consumer, that a car she purchased in September 2019 had body shakes and a rapid deceleration.
After investigation, consumer complaints are true.
The operator explained that the body shaking and deceleration were caused by high in-cylinder pressure and valve rupture caused by carbon deposits. He took timely repair and remedial measures in accordance with regulations, but in accordance with the "Repair and Remediation of Household Auto Products" implemented in 2013. "Replacement and Return Responsibility Regulations", the car has not yet met the replacement requirements.
After many mediations by the Consumers Association of Gansu Province, the operator finally offered 150,000 yuan to buy back the car.
This is a complaint about fuel vehicles, and complaints about new energy vehicles are not uncommon.
The China Consumers Association announced the analysis of complaints received by the National Consumers Association in 2021, and released some typical cases and solutions at the same time.
Among them, "new energy vehicles are difficult to prove and protect their rights" is one of the typical cases announced by the China Consumers Association.
In July 2021, the Consumer Rights Protection Committee of Lucheng District, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province received a complaint from Ms. Song, a consumer, that her electric car spontaneously ignited during charging. Consumers believed that the electric cars sold by 4S stores had quality problems and demanded compensation. .
After mediation by the Consumer Protection Committee of Lucheng District, the two parties reached an agreement that the 4S store will refund 96,800 yuan of the car purchase price, subsidize 20,000 yuan for the items burned in the car, 16,000 yuan for lost work and 30,000 yuan for mental damage, totaling 162,800 yuan. .
The quality problem is the most prominent
New energy vehicle battery false standard
The "Report" pointed out that in 2021, in the public opinion information of auto consumer rights protection, the quality problems involved accounted for 90.48%, false propaganda accounted for 5.47%, service problems accounted for 3.39%, and delayed delivery accounted for 0.66%.
Among them, the quality problem is the most prominent, ranking first, followed by false propaganda.
Among the quality problems, the most prominent problems are brake system problems, body accessories and electrical problems, gearbox problems and engine problems. The brake system problems account for 44.9%, and other problems account for more than 10%.
The public opinion on consumer rights protection of new energy vehicles is higher than that of fuel vehicles.
The "Report" shows that there are 128,000 pieces of public opinion data on consumer rights protection related to "new energy vehicles", and 52,000 pieces of public opinion data on rights protection for "fuel vehicles".
According to the "Report", among the domestic brands of new energy vehicles, the most frequently reported problems are quality problems, accounting for 54.75%; followed by false propaganda, accounting for 32.26%; service problems and untimely delivery problems account for 7.4% and 5.59% respectively .
Among the quality problems, brake problems accounted for 32.26%, followed by body accessories and electrical problems, accounting for 13.46%, battery problems accounted for 3.84%, and the rest accounted for less than 3%.
The problems reflected in the rights protection public opinion about the main brands of fuel vehicles involve four aspects: quality problems, false publicity, service problems and failure to deliver on time.
Among them, quality problems accounted for the most, accounting for 90.11%, followed by service problems and false propaganda, accounting for 4.89% and 4.83% respectively, and the proportion of non-delivery on time was the lowest.
Among the quality problems, gearbox problems, body accessories and electrical problems, and engine problems are the main aspects, accounting for more than 25%.
In addition, disguised charges, unresolved problems, poor service attitude, contract problems, and personnel technical problems among service problems are evenly distributed, accounting for 0.53%, 1.49%, 1.48%, 0.71%, and 0.67%, respectively.
On the whole, quality issues have the most public opinion.
Regardless of whether it is a traditional fuel vehicle or a new energy vehicle that has developed rapidly in recent years, quality issues are still a prominent issue in protecting the rights of automobile consumers.
The engine gearbox, body accessories and electrical problems of traditional fuel vehicles still have frequent failures, which have become the main aspects of rights protection; new energy vehicles are affected by the Tesla brake failure incident in April 2021, and all new energy brands are related to the braking system. Public opinion on rights protection remains high, and issues with body accessories and electrical appliances have also been reported many times.
There are also some problems that appear frequently.
For example, the problem of false propaganda is prominent.
The "Report" shows that, especially the false standard of batteries represented by new energy vehicles, it is unrealistic to promote high battery life, and there is behavior to deceive and mislead consumers.
There are many disputes after after-sales service.
After-sales service of automobiles has always been a hot issue of consumer complaints. Various disguised charges, shirk responsibility, poor service attitude, and untimely after-sales service have caused great distress to consumers.
In addition, due to the global shortage of chips, the auto market, especially the delivery of new energy vehicles, has been delayed from time to time.
"These problems not only damage the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, but also affect the healthy development of the auto industry, which should be paid enough attention." The "Report" pointed out.
Industry norms are not mature enough
Increase regulatory penalties
Why are there so many public opinion issues about car consumer rights protection?
The "Report" believes that, first of all, some manufacturers unilaterally pursue immediate interests and deliberately control costs, resulting in problems such as poor quality, affecting consumers' driving experience, and bringing safety hazards to consumers' personal and property safety.
Secondly, automobiles are complex industrial products, and the quality problems complained by consumers mainly focus on engine, transmission, battery mileage, braking system and so on.
These issues are highly specialized and difficult to prove.
For ordinary consumers, it is often difficult to prove their rights.
Third, the industry norms for some models, especially new energy vehicles, are not mature enough.
Compared with traditional fuel vehicles, new energy vehicles are still in the development stage, both in terms of technology and industry standardization, they are still immature, relevant policies are also in the process of gradual improvement, and some technical indicators and testing methods have not yet formed a consensus.
Once a problem occurs, it is difficult to obtain effective proof and recognition.
Therefore, it brings great difficulties to consumers' complaints and rights protection.
In addition, supervision and penalties need to be further strengthened.
After nearly ten years of rapid development in the automobile market, the country has promulgated a series of laws and regulations, and a relatively complete legal and regulatory system has been formed. In general, the legal system related to the automobile market is complete, and the boundaries are relatively clear. The key is supervision. Insufficient penalties and penalties have resulted in some violations of laws and regulations or damage to consumers' rights and interests not being dealt with in a timely and effective manner, and objectively condoning some dishonest and unlawful business practices.
It is worth noting that on January 1, 2022, the newly revised "Regulations on Responsibilities for Repair, Replacement and Return of Home Auto Products" were officially implemented.
The responsibilities and obligations of the relevant auto manufacturers were further clarified, and the protection of the rights and interests of consumers was further strengthened.
"Relevant auto manufacturers, especially new energy auto manufacturers, need to operate in good faith and law-abiding, provide consumers with high-quality auto products and high-quality auto services, consciously safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, and promote the healthy development of the auto consumer market." Chen Yinjiang said.
The "Report" proposes that automakers should enhance their responsibility and safety awareness.
Automobile products are related to the personal and property safety of consumers. Manufacturers must attach great importance to the quality of automobile products, ensure that the automobile products produced and sold meet the requirements of protecting personal and property safety, and effectively remind consumers of precautions and safety risks.
New energy vehicle manufacturers should truthfully inform consumers of the actual cruising range, charging speed, and influencing factors of the vehicle to avoid disputes in the future.
Car sales companies must treat consumers with integrity, do not force bundling, do not make false propaganda, honor commitments in good faith, and put an end to bullying, deception, misleading, and illegal charging.
Chen Yinjiang suggested that the relevant departments strengthen the supervision of prominent problems reported by consumers such as disguised price increases, hidden charges, forced tie-in sales, false publicity, and vehicle safety in the field of auto sales, and take effective measures to ensure market order and crack down on illegal acts; guide , Regulate the development of the new energy vehicle industry, promote the continuous improvement of battery technology and supporting facilities, and conduct regular safety inspections to better protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
In addition, consumers should also raise their awareness of self-protection.
"Consumers should pay attention to keeping the relevant documents for car purchase and maintenance, and pay special attention to the verbal promises of the merchants about refunding the car purchase deposit and insurance deposit, pay attention to keeping the deposit or deposit receipts, record the verbal promises of the merchants when necessary, and actively strive to sign them. A paper deposit or deposit refund agreement. Actively learn the knowledge of car consumption, carefully read the instruction manual of the vehicle, and understand the scope of the three guarantees and the warranty period of vulnerable parts in detail. Develop good driving habits and maintain regular maintenance. , Only by understanding the car can you better protect your rights in the event of a dispute." Chen Yinjiang said.