Touch a screen to lodge your consumer complaint

On March 6, four public consumer complaint terminals were erected in busy commercial areas including Xidan, Shichahai, Dashilan and Zhanlan Lu to allow shoppers to voice their grievances digitally. The scheme was launched after the success of a trial involving the Dashilan terminal that began in June last year. Hundreds of complaints from consumers were lodged, many that were solved saving time and money.

"These terminals are the first of their kind in Beijing," said Huang Lidong, deputy director of the Consumer Protection Office at the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce at Xicheng district. "They give people a shortcut in lodging complaints about any illegal or unfair treatment they experience during their shopping."

Using advanced touch screen technology, the terminals resemble many other digital information kiosks or automatic teller machines in appearance. Users can choose the services they wish to utilize based on options displayed on the screen. For example, you could familiarize yourself with commercial policies, find out information about food quality and safety or locate the nearest shopping mall. However, the core function of the terminals is to lodge consumer complaints.

"People can also lodge complaints by calling 12315 or visiting the nearest Industry and Commerce Office. However, these terminals help people who don't know where to start," Huang said. "Aside from lodging complaints, the terminals can inform consumers of their rights before they buy products."

After selecting the option of "lodging a commercial complaint," users are directed to an interactive screen showing both their face and a uniformed police officer whom they can speak with, similar to a Skype call.

Until the terminals were unveiled on March 6, most complaints police received during the Dashilan trial were from consumers who regretted buying products they subsequently wanted to return. "There were also cases involving vendors who didn't honor warranties to customers," Huang added.

Metro Beijing witnessed several pedestrians drawn to the terminals out of curiosity. One of them, a 35-year-old security guard named Li Gang, mistook it for an ATM and admitted it was his first time seeing such a terminal.

"I like its convenience, but the touch screen doesn't seem to work well. I find this frustrating," he said. "In any case, face-to-face call services seem only available for complaints, not for asking questions." Li pointed out that the terminal would be more useful if it included information on high-end shopping malls.

In terms of lodging complaints, Li said that he still prefers to talk directly to the sellers whom he has gripes with. "It's more typical and an easier way to solve problems or trouble," he explained.

Guo Ying, 21, was another person who wanted to see how the machine works. She waited for a couple minutes as pages loaded on the screen, before giving up on it. "The connection is too slow," she complained. "I think these terminals should be in a building instead of on the street, since it's warmer and quieter inside."

Guo admitted that the machine, though slow, is easy to use. Huang addressed the problem of speed by pointing out that the terminals rely on a wireless Internet connection, meaning it's not as reliable or fast as a fixed connection. He also improvements earmarked include launching an English version to help foreign shoppers understand their consumer rights in China.