(ECNS) -- China's most popular online marketplace Taobao.com has vowed to punish stores that harass online buyers, including by insult and intimidation.
Instead of requiring buyers to provide evidence of harassment, Taobao will take the responsibility to seek proof, the new regulation said. Taobao.com investigated 66 online stores that received complaints and punished 14 since the new rule took effect in June.
Online buyers found it difficult to provide evidence that they were intimidated by Taobao stores through anonymous phone calls, emails and messages.
A buyer in Xiamen who calls herself Smile said she received more than 30 intimidating and harassing massages within 15 minutes after leaving a "bad" comment over worn underwear she bought at a store.
Smile said she sent a complaint to Taobao.com after she couldn't bear the messages in the following two days, including one that read "Be careful! I know your address."
She was not the only one that had such an experience. About 8 percent of complaints the online sales portal received were about harassment and intimidation by its online stores, Taobao stated.
The company said that after receiving complaints, it started investigating and contacting other buyers. Decisions about complaints will be made based on buyer comments, the store's historical figures and service records.
If a store is proven to engage in malicious behavior, it will be punished, Taobao said. Some habitual offenders might even be shut down.
