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Online buyers beware
By Lin Zhen and Xiong Suya |
August 29, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
NOWADAYS tuangou, which means group buying, is getting increasingly popular among young people because it saves time, effort and money. However, tuangou websites receive many complaints.
Some are accused of leaking customers' information for fraud, charging hidden fees and some tuangou websites even disappear once they receive customers' money. The caveat emptor doctrine - let the buyer beware - is more than relevant when it comes to tuangou. Luckily through increased knowledge it's possible for buyers to protect themselves from falling into a "purchase trap."
The devil is in the details
A great source of dissatisfaction is that tuangou products do not match the pictures on websites. Many tuangou website owners hide behind their disclaimers that read: "All pictures are for reference only." Therefore, read the details about a product's size and texture carefully to avoid disputes. Some online coupons have a specific period of validity, be aware of the dates. Also take extra fees into consideration. Many websites don't include shipping fees when they offer discounts, therefore customers have to consider carefully whether the tuangou product is really cheap once the shipping costs have been added.
Pay attention to evaluations
Whether a tuangou website is good or not is directly reflected in the ratings left by previous buyers and these evaluations are found on tuangou navigation sites. Take Youtao site as an example. Each issue of the website contains tuangou product sales numbers, evaluations, other customers' personal experience and so on. This information can act as a guide as well as reference. Online forums provide another platform for netizens to exchange information.
Keep purchase and payment documents
Many tuangou disputes cannot be settled because of the lack of relevant documents. Therefore, it's very important to keep all purchase and payment documents in case a dispute spills over into a legal battle one day. It is a customer's basic right to request payment documents.
Understand after-sales service
For customers, it's very important to know not only about conditions on discounts but also after-sales service. For example, some merchants may treat normal customers and tuangou customers differently, which cause a lot of complaints. Therefore, customers should pay more attention to the comments on the website and get a general idea of the merchants' service level.
Know your rights
In order to protect their own legal rights, customers should know about supervisory organizations. There are five main ways to complain: reach an agreement with the merchants; contact the association of protecting consumers' rights through its telephone hotline 12315; appeal to relevant administrative departments; have recourse to arbitration; and file a lawsuit with a court.
Some are accused of leaking customers' information for fraud, charging hidden fees and some tuangou websites even disappear once they receive customers' money. The caveat emptor doctrine - let the buyer beware - is more than relevant when it comes to tuangou. Luckily through increased knowledge it's possible for buyers to protect themselves from falling into a "purchase trap."
The devil is in the details
A great source of dissatisfaction is that tuangou products do not match the pictures on websites. Many tuangou website owners hide behind their disclaimers that read: "All pictures are for reference only." Therefore, read the details about a product's size and texture carefully to avoid disputes. Some online coupons have a specific period of validity, be aware of the dates. Also take extra fees into consideration. Many websites don't include shipping fees when they offer discounts, therefore customers have to consider carefully whether the tuangou product is really cheap once the shipping costs have been added.
Pay attention to evaluations
Whether a tuangou website is good or not is directly reflected in the ratings left by previous buyers and these evaluations are found on tuangou navigation sites. Take Youtao site as an example. Each issue of the website contains tuangou product sales numbers, evaluations, other customers' personal experience and so on. This information can act as a guide as well as reference. Online forums provide another platform for netizens to exchange information.
Keep purchase and payment documents
Many tuangou disputes cannot be settled because of the lack of relevant documents. Therefore, it's very important to keep all purchase and payment documents in case a dispute spills over into a legal battle one day. It is a customer's basic right to request payment documents.
Understand after-sales service
For customers, it's very important to know not only about conditions on discounts but also after-sales service. For example, some merchants may treat normal customers and tuangou customers differently, which cause a lot of complaints. Therefore, customers should pay more attention to the comments on the website and get a general idea of the merchants' service level.
Know your rights
In order to protect their own legal rights, customers should know about supervisory organizations. There are five main ways to complain: reach an agreement with the merchants; contact the association of protecting consumers' rights through its telephone hotline 12315; appeal to relevant administrative departments; have recourse to arbitration; and file a lawsuit with a court.
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