Web users express views on price of blackhead removal
Print Edition
SEVERAL people who use the Internet expressed their annoyance and made jokes after a woman was charged 2,000 yuan (US$315) for blackhead removal at a beauty salon in Hangzhou, capital of east China’s Zhejiang Province.
The woman, surnamed Yang, was charged 20 yuan for each blackhead removed, according to media reports.
The owner of the salon claimed she had 100 of them removed.
The bill prompted Yang to file a consumer complaint against the salon, citing a vague advertisement that reads “blackhead removal as cheap as 180 yuan.”
Yuan Fabing, an official with the supervising body, said the pricing is too vague and that it violated market rules.
“Market pricing must be reasonable, legal and clear, or else there will be many disputes,” he said.
Unlicensed
An investigation by local supervisors showed that the salon had been operating without a license since October 1.
Yuan said it has been ordered to shut down.
Yang also got 1,000 yuan back from the salon owner, he said.
People joked about the case online.
“I should be thankful my hairdressers never charged me for the number of hairs they cut,” said someone using the screen name “ZhongxialidemengLA” on Weibo.
“It would be troublesome if I had to buy rice grain by grain,” said another anonymous individual who went by the monicker “qgtwfng.”
Chinese people have complained about other issues recently.
Last week, a restaurant and officials in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao were punished after a man paid 38 yuan per prawn at a seafood eatery in Qingdao.
Unnamed experts have claimed that the emergence of such scandals highlight China’s poor market supervision.
An official in Hangzhou said government officials and law enforcement officers often pass the buck when dealing with disputes.
“Market disputes usually involve several government bodies, making handling them very complicated,” he said.
A lawyer said the process of handling market disputes is usually quite long, and without media attention, usually go unnoticed.
Authorities have issued a spate of measures to regulate illegal market activities, with the China Consumers’ Association telling regulators to deal with consumer complaints properly and blacklist businesses that break the rules.
Authorities in Qingdao also said they would clarify their responsibilities in dealing with similar incidents in the future.
While government bodies should increase supervision, credit systems being built across China should be further promoted, according to Wang Xukun, a government official on the rights and interests of consumers in the northeastern city of Harbin.
“Only with the introduction of a credit system will businesses truly abide by the law,” he said.
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