In China, online shopping complaints and disputes rose sharply in 2014. (Photo : www.thenextweb.com)
According to a recent report from China's top legislative body, Chinese consumers have mostly complained about online shopping in 2014.
Published by a law enforcement team under the National People's Congress' Standing Committee, the report said that the number of online shopping complaints surged, further citing that the platform has been plagued with counterfeit items.
Last year, authorities have dealt with around 78,000 complaints about online shopping--a 356.6 percent year-on-year increase.
The report added that of 20,135 cases handled by consumer associations, 92.3 percent was about online goods.
For Yan Junqi, the Standing Committee's vice chairwoman, "ignoring consumers' rights and selling counterfeits are very prominent in the online shopping industry."
Yan also noted that during an inspection by the State Administration of Industry and Commerce last year, only 58.7 percent of online goods were found to be authentic.
The increase in the number of complaints also translated in the rise of the number of disputes concerning online purchases. She said that the Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court has handled 107 disputes since the revision of the Chinese Consumer Protection Law earlier in March 2015.
Moreover, Yan recommended that the Supreme People's Court should clarify the law's revised edition before 2016 commences. She also appealed to consumer associations to partake in combatting counterfeit products.
Commenting about the law, Qiu Baochang, head of the lawyer's group for the China Consumers' Association, remarked: "We are always overloaded with work since the revised law came into effect."
"We have asked officers to update their knowledge of the law and how the online industry works, including means of payment, to catch up with the pace at which e-commerce is developing," Qiu said.
