For Protecting Consumers' Rights and Interests

This article, written by Lu Yong, is a review of China's history of movement to defend the rights and interests of consumers in their hundreds of millions and crack down on counterfeit products. The article runs as follows:

Over 10 years ago, the Chinese still did not know what the Law on Protecting Consumers' Rights and Interests was about, still less did they know that they could rely on this law to protect their own legitimate rights and interests when problems arose at the time of consumption. Today, the situation has changed a great deal. A review of the tortuous course traversed by China's consumer movement gives much food for thought.

Consumers Associations Can Be Found Everywhere in Cities and the Countryside

May 21, 1983 was a day in which Chinese consumers movement went down in history. That day, the Xinle County (now city) Consumers Association in Hebei Province, the first of its type in China, was born; then, one and a half year later, i.e., December 26, 1984, the China Consumers Association was founded. Since then, Chinese consumer organizations have been mushrooming: Statistics show that by the end of 1999, 3,086 consumers associations at and above the county level had been set up nationwide. Such associations have been established in all of the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, five associations in cities with separate plans, 376 at deputy provincial and prefectural and municipal (regional) levels, accounting for 99 percent of the administration division; 2,674 at county, city (district) level, making up 96 percent of this administrative division. At the same time, networks at the grass-roots level of consumers associations have also developed rapidly. At present, in the countryside there are 23,819 township and town branch associations across the country, and 67,123 stations of complaint at the village level; branch associations have been set up in cities, neighborhood, and in such trades of fitting-up, furniture, computer and beauty culture.

The establishment and development of the networks of consumer organizations have laid a reliable organizational foundation for doing well the work of protecting the lawful public interests of consumers.

More Than 5 Million Complaints Have Been Handled Over the Past Decade

Over the past 15 years, consumer associations at all levels nationwide have taken handling of consumers' complaints as a foundation work to do, they have handled 5 million complaints, retrieved economic losses of 2.65 billion yuan for consumers, the number of consumers' complaints increased from 8,041 in 1985 to 667,016 in 1998, the number of complaints in 1998 was 83 times that of 1985.

Over the past decade and more, consumer associations at all levels have tackled many influential key and difficult cases and put in great efforts to solve them. In 1985, some 4 million poor-quality cold and warm draught fans flew into the markets of a dozen or so provinces and cities, the matter, after being investigated, was exposed and criticized through the news media, arousing the attention of consumers and State departments concerned; Between 1986-87, many consumers complained about the quality of France-made Thomson color television sets and the matter was reported to the department concerned, for this, a special document was issued with approval from the State Council, as a result, the matter was properly solved; in 1986, to deal with the problem concerning difficulties in having imported commodities repaired and the lack of a unified guaranteed period for these products, the consumer associations conducted an investigation together with the department concerned and made an appeal, urging relevant ministries or commissions to draw up stipulations related to imported commodities; in 1996, to deal with the problems reflected in consumers' complaints about the quality of commercialized housing, the consumer associations, together with the Ministry of Construction and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, jointly held a national telephone conference to discuss and solve the problem concerning complaints about commercialized houses; in 1995, a seminar on the safety of gas water heaters was held , calling for eliminating in-line gas water heaters as soon as possible, a year later, the State Bureau of Technological and Quality Supervision revised the standard for gas water heaters.

Giving Consumers a Pair of Discerning Eyes

"Providing consumers with consumption information and consulting services" is the primary function granted by the Law on Protecting Consumers' Rights and Interests to the consumers' association. Over the past decade, the China Consumers Association and consumers associations at all levels have conducted comparative tests of commodities of several thousand brands in one hundred categories on over several hundred occasions, encompassing both ordinary daily-use commodities, such as drinks, milk, mineral spring water, detergent, battery and large consumer goods such as air-conditioners, VCD, handsets, and from milk powder for babies, and milk bottles to floor boards, emulsion paint and dalle for household fitting-up. Consistent adherence to the principle of getting close to and guiding consumption in conducting comparative tests has won the favorable comments and trust of the vast number of consumers, this, together with the complaint work, has become "the most competitive product" serving consumers.

With regard to making special consumption investigation, the China Consumers' Association and local consumers associations have conducted nearly one hundred large-scale special consumption investigations, such as the "situation regarding damage to consumers' rights and interests", "format contract", the "guaranteed replacement, repair and return" of some household electrical appliances, "commitment", "commodity housing property management", "smoking and health", "the quality of farm use truck and after-sale service", and follow-up investigation activities concerning the quality of a dozen types of commodities including refrigerators, bicycles, television sets, and pressure cookers.

Regularly issuing "consumption warning". Beginning from 1997, the China Consumers Association has formally published to society major hidden troubles and consumption traps related to consumers' personal and property safety discovered in the process of complaint, comparative tests and consumption investigation in the form of "consumption warning", warning consumers against the damage by dangerous consumption method. By the end of 1998, the consumers associations at all levels nationwide had issued 9,474 consumption warnings of various categories.

Let the Whole Society Establish the Consumption Protection Awareness

In a bid to establish the consumption protection awareness in the whole society, as early as 1984, the China Consumer Paper started publication. Over the past 10 years and more, the China Consumer Paper has unswervingly raised high the great banner of safeguarding rights, daring to agitate and appeal for the "Gods" or the consumers. In addition, consumers newspapers and magazines have been published in various localities. The China Consumer Association has joined hands with central and local information departments to establish special columns and monograph programs; organize various kinds of publicity and consulting service activities, the "International Consumer Rights and Interests Day" on March 15, every year, in particular, the activities launched on that day is gigantic, effective and influential, and is thus called the "March 15" phenomenon.

In 1997, the China Consumers Association's publicity work entered a new stage, the association began to fix the publicity theme for each year and push the work of defending rights to develop in depth. In the three years of 1997, 1998 and 1999, the association conducted publicity activities with the respective annual main themes as "stressing sincerity, opposing deception", "for the sake of rural consumers" and "safe and healthy consumption". Publicity activities in the annual theme of "carrying out abundantly clear consumption" will be conducted in 2000. The theme activity is a pioneering move taken by the China Consumers Association in reforming the work operational mechanism by drawing on the experience of similar international organizations and in combination with the characteristics of the work in protecting Chinese consumers. Over the past 10 years and more, the movement of Chinese consumers has left behind a thick and heavy color in the history of the development of mankind, it indicates a rise in the consciousness of the Chinese in protecting their own lawful rights and interests, exerting great influence on the movement of international consumers. Looking forward to the future, we are sure that after bidding farewell to over 10 years of explorations, a new phase will be created in the movement for the rights and interests of the Chinese consumers.

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