CHINA Media Group’s annual 3.15 Consumer Rights Gala exposed a host of business misconduct Saturday evening, on this year’s World Consumer Rights Day. The gala highlighted substandard disposable products, food safety breaches, excessive repair fees, online loan sharks, personal data leaks, and AI harassment calls, among others. With related topics quickly trending on major Chinese social media platforms, several named companies issued responses and local regulators took swift actions to investigate the exposed misconduct. In one notorious incident, the Liangshan Xixi Paper Products, a company in Jining, East China’s Shandong Province, allegedly purchased scraps and defective sanitary napkins and baby diapers from recognized brands, then selected and repackaged them for sale at much higher prices. The local authorities have closed the company and investigating the case. The gala also uncovered several disposable underwear factories in Shangqiu, Central China’s Henan Province, which reportedly used dubious raw materials and bypassed proper sterilization procedures, despite their product labels suggesting otherwise. Brands such as Chuyisheng, Beiziyan, and Langsha saw related products removed from e-commerce platforms like Taobao immediately following the broadcast. Related livestreaming was also suspended. China’s largest home appliance maintenance platform, Zhuomuniao, also came under spotlight. Over 6,000 complaints were filed against its repair technicians for allegedly imposing exorbitant service fees. Shortly after the revelations, the platform apologized on its official Sina Weibo account, stating that it had set up a special investigation team to address the accusations and protect customer interests. Food safety was another key focus. In Yancheng, East China’s Jiangsu Province, multiple seafood producers were accused of using excessive phosphate-based water-retention agents — a practice strictly regulated under Chinese law — in shrimp processing, inflating water content by up to 20%. Not only local authorities have started an investigation, but according to China Media Group, the State Administration for Market Regulation will roll out a nationwide food safety whistle-blowing system in May. The gala also exposed an e-signature service operated by Jiedaibao, an online lending platform, which was found to encourage illegal usury lenders to evade supervision, prompting concerns about the misuse of digital lending tools. The platform quickly apologized and pledged full cooperation with law enforcement. After the gala, Shanghai’s authorities also began to investigate the Zhiyouqing Network Technology, whose AI phone-call bots allegedly fueled a surge in spam calls. The gala, now in its 35th year, helps to build a more transparent and fair marketplace by spotlighting malpractices and promoting swift accountability, benefiting both consumers and trustworthy businesses. (SD News) | 