On December 20, a topic about a mainland Chinese jewelry store refusing to deliver goods due to soaring gold prices has become a hot topic on Weibo.
According to a report by “Tech News,” in February of this year, a woman in Beijing purchased 2,300 grams of gold bars in batches through a live broadcast room at the price of 478 yuan per gram, spending around 1.1 million yuan in total.
However, when gold prices surged, the store cited insufficient inventory and delayed delivery multiple times. They only offered a compensation of 100 yuan and suggested a refund to the woman.
The woman disagreed and after unsuccessful negotiations, she took the store to court. The court ruled to rescind the purchase contract between the two parties, ordering the store to refund the woman 1.0994 million yuan. Additionally, the store had to compensate the woman for the loss caused by the increase in gold prices, amounting to 156,400 yuan (calculated based on market price difference). The store disagreed and appealed, but the second-instance court upheld the original ruling.
The topic has sparked discussions online, with some netizens sharing similar online shopping experiences.
A netizen named “I am Flash Cat” shared, “On October 21, at 8 p.m., I purchased a set of tables and chairs from Quan-You during the ‘Double Eleven’ event. The page stated that it would be shipped within 30 days, but they falsely claimed delivery and even confirmed receipt. Contacting the official channels, they refused a refund and insisted on delivering the set of tables and chairs. To this day, I still haven’t received the goods.”
“Confess and receive leniency” said, “A seventy-year-old man accidentally ordered a speaker on Pinduoduo, repeatedly saying he didn’t want it. The store gave various reasons for not accepting returns, made tricks during the return process, and the customer had to pay the shipping fee. The goods arrived and couldn’t be used for a week, the store claimed it needed an upgrade. They sent instructions for the upgrade which couldn’t be done, and they didn’t refund the money. The store asked the customer to send the goods back, pay for shipping, and then they would do the upgrade. Out of anger, the man threw away the speaker, and throughout the process, Pinduoduo’s official platform did nothing.”
Many netizens expressed their opinions, saying, “In plain terms, they took people’s money to purchase goods and ended up failing miserably!” “Businesses should value credibility and be prepared to take risks.” “If you raise prices, why don’t you refund when prices fall?” “Punish them severely twice, so they won’t keep engaging in false advertising for profit.” “It’s a worrisome business environment.” “Without integrity, one is not qualified to do business.”