To address issues such as prepaid consumption and big data "killing off", the Consumer Protection Regulations will come into effect on July 1st - to showcase more practical measures to protect consumers (focusing on the rule of law)
2024-07-02
Editor's note: If a business operator provides services through automatic renewal or renewal, it should prominently remind consumers before they accept the service and before the automatic renewal or renewal date; Government agencies and institutions provide public services through the Internet, and cannot bind to a single Internet platform... Focusing on the people's livelihood and the concerns of the masses, the overall situation of service development and strengthening the support of the rule of law, from July 1, a number of laws and regulations, such as the Regulations for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, and the Provisions on the Administration of the Security of Internet Government Applications, have been implemented to effectively protect high-quality economic and social development with the power of the rule of law. With the continuous development of new formats and models such as platform economy in recent years, there have been some new situations and problems in consumer rights protection work. Starting from July 1st, the Implementation Regulations of the Consumer Rights Protection Law of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") will officially come into effect. "The promulgation and implementation of the Consumer Protection Regulations have further improved China's legal system for protecting consumers' rights and increased the protection of consumers' legitimate rights and interests." The relevant person in charge of the China Consumers Association stated that the Regulations have made targeted provisions and introduced solutions for some hot and painful issues. For prepaid consumption, increase the obligation for merchants to inform in advance. Prepaid consumption is widely used in various life scenarios such as entertainment, fitness, and beauty. However, due to factors such as lax regulation of the commercial prepaid card market and a lack of risk prevention mechanisms, some merchants have lost contact and fled, often leading to complaints and disputes. Chen Yinjiang, Deputy Secretary General of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, stated that the Regulations have made more detailed provisions on prepaid consumption, requiring operators to decide to suspend business or relocate service venues, and to make a conspicuous announcement 30 days in advance. In case of significant business risks, prepayments should be stopped. But to fundamentally solve the problem of difficult rights protection and refund for prepaid consumption, it is necessary for regulatory authorities, industry associations, and business entities to work together and strengthen collaborative governance. For automatic renewal, it is required to provide a prominent reminder. In recent years, the knowledge payment industry has developed rapidly. Many consumers have gradually developed the habit of subscribing to membership services, but automatic renewal mechanisms have frequently become traps that consumers may accidentally fall into. Many clients intentionally set up obstacles to prevent users from unsubscribing to automatic renewal, such as not providing a clear cancellation path or requiring users to go through tedious steps to terminate automatic renewal. In this regard, the Regulations specify that if an operator provides services through automatic extension, automatic renewal, or other means, it shall prominently draw the attention of consumers before they accept the service and before the automatic extension, automatic renewal, or other dates. In fact, some regions have boldly explored and tried the issue of automatic renewal first. For example, the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Consumer Rights Protection Regulations, which officially came into effect on January 1st this year, require that consumers must be informed of service content, deduction amounts, and other matters through telephone, SMS, instant messaging tools, email, message push, and other means within 5 days before the automatic renewal or renewal date. For the first time, we have standardized differentiated pricing for big data. In recent years, a series of consumption traps such as platform big data "killing off" and using discounted subscriptions to induce automatic renewal at the original price after subscription have been common. In this regard, the Consumer Protection Regulations stipulate that operators shall not set different prices or charging standards for the same product or service under the same transaction conditions without the knowledge of consumers. The relevant person in charge of the China Consumers Association stated that the "Regulations" not only protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, but also support the legitimate operation of operators. They will show more real tricks for safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, enabling the people to "have a better consumption environment and a stronger willingness to consume", and enhancing the fundamental role of consumption in economic development. (Lai Xin She)
Edit:Wangchen Responsible editor:Chenjie
Source:People.cn
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