Household consumption complaints disputes are falling first

3·15 rights attack

In March, it began to enter the decoration season, and the furniture and building materials industry closely related to home life is one of the pillars of the rapidly developing manufacturing industry in Guangdong Province. After the promulgation of the new consumer law, the number of home complaint disputes began to fall for the first time last year. Last week, the reporter learned from the Guangdong Provincial Consumer Council that in the past 2014, there were 4,395 complaints about homes (including furniture, building materials and decoration), a decrease of 8 cases from 2013 (a total of 4413 cases). The year-on-year growth rate was reversed from +34.64% to -1.8%. The curve of rising year by year has been curbed and the first turning point.

According to the data provided by the Provincial Consumer Council, the most complaints still focus on quality issues, including 743 building materials and 1,218 furniture, accounting for almost half of the respective complaints; followed by complaints about after-sales service, 218 building materials, 540 cases of furniture, about 20% of complaints related to this; ranked third is a dispute around the contract issues, including 159 building materials, 280 pieces of furniture, more than a percentage. It can be seen that with the increasing size and output value of the home market, household consumption has become an important consumer field in the society, but the crux of the problem is still quite a lot.

The “3·15” consumer rights day is coming. This year, China Consumers Association aims to protect and boost consumer confidence with the theme of “joining together and enjoying consumption”. On the occasion of the promulgation of the new “elimination law” for one year, new rights and new responsibilities are more focused on fairness and moderately inclined to consumers. For example, the burden of proof of rights disputes is reversed, and consumer fraud is punishable by three times, and the public interest litigation can be initiated by the Consumers Association. While increasing the cost of violating the business, it also opens up "convenient methods" for the disadvantaged consumers. Maintaining the harmony of the consumer environment is not only for every business, but also for consumers to work together. Let’s start with a pair of “smart eyes”!

Buying furniture without invoices, after-sales rights are difficult

In June of last year, Miss Wang spent 10,000 yuan to buy a dining table (table decoration renderings) and a fabric sofa (a sofa decoration rendering) at Haizhuyi Furniture Store, because it was cheaper than other houses, and the store manager told her that if the day was completed The purchase price can be further discounted at 800 yuan, so she will open the counter-offer and ask for another 500 yuan to pay the full amount on the spot. The merchant promised that she would not be invoiced on the grounds that the price was too low after the counter-offer and there was no profit after invoicing. Miss Wang thought that the invoice could not be reimbursed and agreed. For less than half a year, the dinette and the chair and chair all showed obvious shaking. The down cushion of the fabric sofa cushion and the cushion would pop up with a slight push. So the store was found. As a result, the merchant said that there are bills to be repaired or returned. If there is no bill, it may be "planted."

Reporter's comment: Furniture is not like anything else. At the time, it is not okay to show that there is no problem. It is very likely that the problem will be revealed after a period of use. In the event of quality problems, the staff of the Consumer Council reminded that there was no invoice. Due to the lack of valid vouchers, it was difficult to defend rights, and it also brought difficulties to the relevant departments in handling complaints. Although some store merchants will guarantee after-sales service with formal purchase contracts and warranty cards, experts say that other documents do not have the same legal effect as invoices, and it is best not to give up the right to request invoices.

Wooden floor, beware of fraud, shoddy

In mid-April last year, Mr. Zhao purchased a “Vietnamese red sandalwood” wooden floor with a price of 12,500 yuan after paying a deposit of 2,500 yuan. A friend who came home to remind him: From the texture, color and comprehensive price, the wooden floor is not like sandalwood material. So Mr. Zhao applied to the professional testing agency for identification, and the result showed that the product name was “Gingerbread Wood”. The seller argued that “Vietnamese red sandalwood” refers to the color of the wooden floor, not the material, and indicates that it comes from the supplier, has nothing to do with itself, and there is no fraud.

Reporter's comment: In some building materials markets, the phenomenon that the products indicate that the tree species and the identification results are inconsistent is very common, and most of them are shoddy. Article 55 of the new Consumer Law stipulates that consumers may receive three times of compensation for consumer fraud. According to industry insiders, in the solid wood flooring industry, wood is widely known as a lot of people, and consumers who are not knowledgeable are easily misled. When purchasing, it is best to clearly indicate the name of the tree on the documents to avoid future disputes.

Tile color difference is not inspected and buried

Last year, Mr. Gao bought the living room floor tiles and kitchen wall tiles in the Eagle Ceramics Wuzhou store, which were delivered by the merchants in batches. After receiving the goods, 2 boxes of packaging were randomly opened. Mr. Gao found that there were more black plaques in the tiles, and it was a group of black flocs, which was ugly. Mr. Gao then negotiated with the merchants, but the merchant said that the difference in the production batches of the tiles is not exactly the same as the samples, and pointed out the content of the fourth clause in the note of the shipper: the difference between the physical and display samples may be different in color and pattern. The actual product is subject to the purchase, and the batch of goods is guaranteed to be shipped from the original factory, so it cannot be returned or replaced. After mediation, the merchant issued a test report that its products were excellent products, and there was no quality problem. The two sides disputed nothing and failed.

Reporter's comment: In this case, the Consumer Council of Guangdong Province intervened in mediation, but the mediation failed. Therefore, it is recommended that Mr. Gao continue to appeal to the administrative department for industry and commerce, and may also take arbitration or prosecution. In fact, since September 1, 2006, the new "Ceramic Tile National Standard" has abolished the concept of "product grade", and only classified qualified products and non-conforming products. However, the grade is still prevalent in the market. The general brand tiles are classified by the appearance quality of the tiles such as pinholes, black spots, chipping, and glaze. The internal qualities such as water absorption, hardness and strength are the same. In similar cases in the past, some industrial and commercial law enforcement personnel believed that merchants should fulfill their duty of reminding when selling ceramic tiles. If there is color difference in the same batch of ceramic tiles, the products are flawed; consumers have not fulfilled the inspection obligations according to the “Product Instructions”. It can't be returned, and there are certain faults.

How to repair the kitchen leaks

In October 2009, Mr. Zheng signed a renovation contract with a decoration company, which was completed on December 20 of that year. These include bathroom and kitchen waterproofing. The waterproof contract is guaranteed for 5 years in the decoration contract. In 2014, Mr. Zheng found that the kitchen was leaking. Mr. Zheng contacted the company after sales, the company is reluctant to re-waterproof, and proposed to only knock out 6 bricks to remedy. Mr. Zheng did not agree. He asked all the kitchens to be re-watered and compensated for the inability to dine during the period of work. The dispute between the two sides was unsuccessful, and the provincial consumer committee intervened in mediation and finally reached an agreement.

Reporter's comment: The hydropower problem is a concealed project. In the decoration, it is especially important to pay attention. In the event of water leakage and leakage, the owner should first protect the scene and collect evidence and fix the work by shooting videos and photos. If the quality of the house is defective and still under warranty, the owner can claim compensation from the developer; if the warranty period expires, the property maintenance fund can be activated for maintenance. If it is caused by decoration, the general hydropower project warranty period is 5 years. If there is an extended warranty or additional clause, the Provincial Consumers Committee reminds that it must be written into the contract to see the terms and then sign, and do not understand some key words. To abandon the interpretation, the business should be explained, and the explanation, commitment, and conversation of the business can be recorded.

Decoration plus fare increase is hard to prevent

In July and August 2013, Miss Zhang received a call promotion from a decoration company. The other party promised to decorate her house into a hardcover model house, and did not charge more renovation fees, which would not exceed 5% of the budget. After the two sides reached an agreement, Miss Zhang paid a deposit of 10,000 yuan. Later, Miss Zhang felt that the decoration company lacked the integrity of the behavior: First, she was instructed to pay 30% of the project payment 2 months earlier; second, the other party had to sign the contract to get the budget; the third was to raise the price but refused to give it. The original price is for her comparison; the fourth is not strictly enforce the budget, and the decoration project is free to increase the price. 10% of water and electric pipe overspending, and the cost per square meter of artificial materials for tile laying increased from 52 yuan to 120 yuan... In order to avoid project overrun disputes, Miss Zhang and the other party terminated the decoration contract and complained to the provincial Consumer Council. After that, the consumer's request is satisfactorily handled.

Reporter's comment: Decoration is a huge project. Since most consumers are not very familiar with the home improvement process, they only choose the height of the decoration company's offer. When the other party makes a budget, it deliberately omits or obscures some items, and uses low prices as a bait to attract consumers. Once the project starts, it will continue to increase the additional budget, or change the construction process to make huge profits. Such as underreporting deliberately leaking items, repeating charges for cleverly making names, buying building materials to raise the price, stealing the column for the goods, not cutting the board, cutting the materials to shoddy, shoddy and subtle, and concealing the cover. The price before the decoration is second, carefully prevent the decoration. The company's late price increase is the key. Therefore, when signing the decoration contract, the responsibility of the decoration company must be clearly and clearly defined. It is best to verify the material, specifications and grades, and implement the process on the paper as an attachment to the contract to avoid future troubles.

Solid wood cabinets are matched with MDF

In February last year, Miss Li made a set of all-solid wood cabinets worth more than 10,000 yuan. When it arrived, it was found that three of the boards were made of high-density boards, and the width of the two doors did not reach. The size of the original contract, and the color is also different from the color of the sample seen when ordering. The color of the cabinet sent will look darker than the yellow color of the sample. Miss Li has consulted with the company many times and has not received satisfactory answers. After mediation, the company promised to replace the high-density board with solid wood, the door was redone, and repainted.

Reporter's Comments: Customized products with non-standard sizes are more likely to produce quality problems than standard finished products. Consumer Council staff recommends that consumers purchase written furniture and sign a written contract with the merchant, and the size, material, color and price of the furniture. Wait for detailed agreement. In addition, do not pay in one lump sum when paying, you should keep the last payment, and then settle it after the installation is completed and there is no quality problem. If there is a quality problem with the customized product and the responsibility is in the merchant, the merchant must bear the responsibility for replacement and return.

Warm Tips

Home decoration selection strategy

● Choose materials from the market to reputable home stores. Compared with some small building materials market and street stalls, there are products sold in stores with relatively large scale of operation and management. Although the price is high, the quality is guaranteed. Consumers must not lose their lives because of small losses;

● When shopping for three materials, try to shop around and go to several markets. The purpose is to save money, not to be cheap, if it is a product that looks similar, the price is very different, indicating that its internal quality is very different;

● Keep the bill consumers to properly save and count all kinds of receipts, in case they have problems. This further reminds consumers to go to the regular shopping mall to purchase, with the unified sales order of the mall to enjoy the after-sales service of shopping;

●In the event of quality problems in the immediate complaint purchase materials, consumers should also report to the customer service department at the same time as they report to the building materials business. It can be reflected to consumer associations or the media or relevant administrative departments and industry associations. If the mediation fails, the lawsuit can be brought to the court in accordance with the law.