I thought the food was freshly fried, but I didn't expect it to be a pre-made dish; when I ordered the meal, I didn't tell the bill, only to find out that the table fee and service fee were as high as 50 yuan...
What is the "shield" of "consumer assassin"
Our reporter Liu Shanshan and Peng Bing
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Following the "ice cream assassin", "assassins" in various consumer fields continue to emerge.
Some consumers are charged for head perm and eyebrow tattoos are charged according to the root. Recently, whether restaurants need to be notified in advance to provide pre-made dishes has caused heated discussions.
Many consumers said that if they knew in advance that they were eating pre-made dishes, they might not be able to accept them.
The lawyer said that the reason why these "consumer assassins" make people feel stabbed is that consumers are not very clear about the information of goods or services, and they think that they do not match the actual content and value after consumption, and consumers have the right to know. Have the right to choose goods or services independently.
After ordering, the dishes will be served on the table. Are the dishes in the restaurant freshly fried by the chef or pre-made dishes that can be eaten after heating?
Recently, there has been a heated debate over whether restaurants and takeaways need to be notified in advance for pre-made dishes.
Many consumers said when they participated in the survey that if they knew in advance that it was a pre-made dish, they would not eat it, and businesses should inform them in advance.
From eating pre-made dishes with hindsight, to charging for head perm, charging for eyebrow tattooing, and then to the marketing strategy of health care products that can only be weighed and priced after powdering, in the consumer market, the elusive "assassins" are not only ice cream .
In the case that consumers cannot fully understand the product information, it is inevitable to be "stabbed" with a knife.
In the face of the inevitable "assassin" routine, what should be the "shield" to protect the rights and interests of consumers?
The default is "freshly fried" to actually eat pre-made dishes
"I went to a restaurant two days ago to eat, and their most famous dish is pickled fish. They divide pickled fish into two dishes, one is called Bawang pickled fish, 98 yuan a pound, and it sells from 3 pounds, and the other is called classic pickled fish. It costs 98 yuan a piece. A friend who does catering told me that the expensive ones are freshly cooked in the kitchen, and the cheaper ones are pre-cooked dishes.”
Recently, Beijing netizen Zhao Xiaoxuan shared this dining experience on a short video platform.
She complained: "I clearly remember that this store used to only sell freshly made pickled fish at 188 yuan per serving. Now if I want to eat his pickled fish, I have to pay double the price..." The pre-made dishes are Aiming at the complicated process of preparing dishes for family banquets, modern standardized flow operations are used to prepare the ingredients of the dishes in the early stage, simplify the production steps, and after hygienic and scientific packaging, they can be directly eaten by heating or steaming.
"For example, the oil cakes in many restaurants are made with frozen finger cakes, which saves the cost of hiring professional pastry chefs. In chain restaurants, the use of pre-made dishes can not only save labor and time costs, but also ensure that each restaurant The taste of the store is the same.” Wang Baoren, who used to be a salesperson in a quick-frozen condiment distribution company, told reporters that ordinary people may not notice whether they eat pre-made dishes in restaurants, but people in the industry can tell the difference, whether it is color or taste. , it's not the same as freshly fried.
In February of this year, the "Prefabricated Vegetable Consumption Survey Report" released by the Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Committee showed that 62.32% of consumers said that "prefabricated dishes tasted average", and 3.32% of consumers felt that "prefabricated dishes tasted bad and not delicious". .
Knowing that they were eating pre-made dishes, many consumers felt that they had been "stabbed" with a knife.
"The picture was convenient before. I bought pre-made dishes of braised beef, pork with plums and spicy lobster tails on the Internet. The taste is indescribable. I may be eating pre-made dishes, if I knew in advance, I would definitely not be able to accept it." Changchun consumer Yu Yingying said.
Zhao Xiaoxuan said in the short video: "My expectation is that takeaways and restaurants will clearly inform consumers when they sell pre-made dishes. We may not have the power to change business trends, but we have the right to know what we eat."
Various "consumer assassins" keep appearing
Following the heated discussion of ice cream "assassins", "assassins" in various consumption fields continue to appear, involving various scenarios of daily consumption.
According to media reports, Mr. Liu from Hangzhou wanted to go to a barber shop to do a normal washing, cutting and blowing. After washing his hair, the staff recommended a "docile hot" of 398 yuan. When he paid, he found that the money was calculated by region. The head is divided into 12 areas, and the total cost is 4776 yuan.
Some restaurants will charge table fees or sterilization tableware fees, paper towels, etc. The amount is not high, and consumers are often embarrassed to take it seriously.
Recently, when Ms. Chen from Fuzhou went to the restaurant with her friends, she ordered a total of more than 150 yuan of dishes. When paying the bill, she was told that the fee was 208 yuan. She looked at the receipt carefully and found that it included the table fee, snacks in the hall, tea fee and service. The fee, including the fee, is 50 yuan.
According to media reports, in June last year, a customer went to a restaurant in Nanjing to dine. When paying, the merchant said that they would charge a tableware fee of 2 yuan.
Because they were not informed in advance, the customer called the report, and the Municipal Supervision Bureau confiscated the restaurant's illegal income of 4,212 yuan.
Not long ago, "It turns out that there is no need to pay for a table" on the hot search. Netizens said that this also just proves that many people are accustomed to charging for a table.
Some "consumer assassins" may also be involved in fraud.
Health products are the hardest hit area for "consumer assassins".
Recently, the Huainan police in Anhui successfully destroyed a fraudulent gang that sold fake health products to middle-aged and elderly groups, freezing more than 200 million yuan of funds involved.
The gang sells “health products” that cost hundreds of yuan in live broadcasts, which are actually ordinary candies or solid beverages produced by food processing factories. The cheapest ex-factory price is only a few yuan per catty. "Head of Stem Cell Therapy" and other titles, and fictitious product efficacy, there are more than 600 brick-and-mortar stores across the country.
Consumers can protect their rights through multiple channels
"According to the relevant provisions of the "Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law", business operators shall follow the principles of voluntariness, equality, fairness, and good faith in transactions with consumers. The right to the situation." Wang Yuqi, senior partner of Guangdong Guanghe (Changchun) Law Firm, said, "The operator should fully and accurately inform consumers of the real situation and relevant information of the goods."
In Wang Yuqi's view, the reason why "consumer assassins" make people feel stabbed is that consumers are not very clear about the information about goods or services, and they think that they do not match the actual content and value after consumption, and create a psychological gap.
In response to the more common problems such as charging meal fees, Wang Yuqi said that according to Article 13 of the "Price Law", operators who sell, purchase goods and provide services should clearly mark the price in accordance with the regulations of the government's price authority, and indicate the name of the product. , place of origin, specifications, grades, pricing units, prices or service items, charging standards, etc.
Operators are not allowed to sell commodities at an additional price in addition to the listed price, and are not allowed to charge any unmarked fees.
"Consumers have the right to know, and have the right to choose goods or services independently. Operators should not mislead consumers, and should remind consumers with notices that are enough to attract consumers' attention. Otherwise, consumers have the right to refuse consumption and have the right to choose returns. , refund." Wang Yuqi said.
In response to the question of whether restaurants need to inform consumers in advance that they are ordering pre-made dishes, the Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Protection Committee stated that recently the committee, the Yangtze River Delta Consumer Protection Committee Alliance, and the Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui three provinces and one city catering associations jointly researched and formulated a long-term plan. Group standard for pre-prepared dishes in the Triangle region.
Wang Yuqi reminded that when disputes arise due to "consumer assassins" and their legitimate rights and interests are violated, consumers can apply for mediation to consumer associations, complain to relevant administrative departments, file lawsuits in people's courts and other channels to protect their rights.
(Some interviewees use pseudonyms)