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December 2, 2021

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Canada Goose under fire again over mainland no-refund policy

The Canadian clothing brand Canada Goose has come under fire again, this time over its no-refund policy on the Chinese mainland.

Following media reports, the company said in a statement yesterday that it now allows a return and a refund for products sold at all Canada Goose retail stores on the mainland under applicable laws.

A woman surnamed Jia told media outlets on Tuesday that a Canada Goose down jacket that she bought at a shopping mall in the Pudong New Area had quality problems, and her request for a refund was refused.

The coat, on which she spent 11,400 yuan (US$1,792) at a Canada Goose store inside Shanghai IFC Mall in late October, had a pungent smell and rough stitching, Jia said.

Moreover, the Canada Goose logo was wrongly embroidered with one extra arc in the sun.

Jia said she was not aware that the product could not be returned before payment because she was not informed as such by staffers.

She was asked to sign an exchange policy after payment, which stated that all products sold at Canada Goose’s mainland retail stores are strictly non-refundable unless otherwise provided by applicable laws.

Jia said as she was told that she could not take the clothing unless she signed the paper, and she signed it as a result.

Jia tried different ways to fix the problem such as calling the company’s hotline and sending e-mails, but all methods failed.

Shanghai Daily found that Canada Goose’s overseas refund policy is different on its English-version official website, which gives consideration to COVID-19.

“Shop with confidence and flexibility this holiday season with our extended return policy, giving you one less thing to think about this time of year.

Any purchase made on or after November 8th, 2021, can be returned to any Canada Goose store until January 10th, 2022. Online orders must be postmarked by January 10th, 2022. Purchases made prior to November 8th, 2021, or after January 10th, 2022, will be subject to the standard 30-day return policy.”

Consumers are eligible to ask for a refund for substandard products, and the practice of not informing Jia of the non-refundable policy before her payment and asking her to sign the paper after the payment infringed her legal rights and interests as a consumer, said lawyer Qin Yubin.

Consumers can even ask for compensation for products with quality problems, said Qin.

Consumers can ask for a refund, or ask retailers to exchange or repair the products if the goods are not up to standard, according to China’s consumer rights protection law.

Unconditional return

During a talk with representatives of the company yesterday, the Shanghai Consumers Council ordered Canada Goose’s Shanghai subsidiary to submit an explanation over its exchange policy by noon today.

The council questioned whether the exchange policy is the same in China’s mainland and overseas, and company staff said the policy of 30-day unconditional return overseas is not applicable in China’s mainland. A 7-day unconditional return policy is implemented here.

In a separate incident, a Shanghai resident complained that a significant amount of the down in a Canada Goose coat she purchased overseas at 5,000 yuan came out, and her application for lifetime warranty service from the company did not evince a satisfactory reply, except that the company offered to clean it.

Earlier, the Shanghai subsidiary of Canada Goose had been fined 450,000 yuan by the market watchdog in Huangpu District for false promotion.

It released written content claiming the down material in all down jackets sold at the store contained Hutterite down, which “is of good quality and is the most thermal Canadian down,” according to the Huangpu District Administration for Market Regulation.

Experts at the China Feather and Down Industrial Association and the Shanghai Garment Trade Association noted that the thermal performance of down depends on the filling power and down content, which is relevant to the growth period and size of birds.

In other words, it has no relation to the production site, so stressing Hutterite to highlight the thermal performance of down is groundless, the administration concluded.




 

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