Nut retailer faces fine for advert claims
Print Edition
A NUT and seed retailer in east China is facing a 200,000 yuan (US$30,360) fine for using superlative words in advertisements.
Fang, owner of Fanglinfu Roasted Seeds and Nuts Store in Hangzhou City, capital of Zhejiang Province, used the phrases “the best” and “the greatest” to describe his shop on bags and billboards.
Fang said he received a notification last week from the local market supervision administration telling him he was being fined because he had “violated the Advertisement Law,” which came into effect in September.
Fang has three brick-and-mortar shops in Hangzhou and also sells merchandise online.
“I have been running my businesses in Hangzhou for more than 20 years,” he said. “I have always used high-quality raw materials and have maintained very good word of mouth — that’s why I printed the superlative phrases.
“If I had known it was against the law, I would have never crossed the line,” he added. Following the notification, Fang made changes to the phrases, altering them to “a very good roasted seed and nut store in Hangzhou.”
The administration yesterday told Xinhua that they received a report about Fang’s violation about two months ago, and an initial investigation confirmed that his use of the superlatives was illegal.
“Using phrases like ‘the best’ and ‘the greatest’ is simply unreasonable,” said an administration staff member. “But considering Fang’s cooperation in changing the phrases, we decided to give him the lowest fine.”
Under the new law, violators can face fines of up to 1 million yuan.
Some customers said the fine was unreasonable.
“A fine of 200,000 yuan is too heavy,” said a regular patron. “Fang has already changed the phrases, so is it really necessary to bring on the hefty fine?”
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