Online shopping sees surge in consumer complaints

BEIJING -- Consumer complaints in China have surged along with a boom in online shopping as many in the country turn to the convenience of computers or mobile phones to make purchases.

Latest data from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) showed that consumer complaints about Internet shopping experiences totaled around 17,000 in 2013, marking a rise of 60 percent.

Their complaints were mainly about discrepancies between product quality and what was advertised as well as counterfeits. Slow after-sales service and long repair and delivery times also aroused complaints, according to the SAIC.

It said the rise in complaints showed consumer rights violations in China are still a pronounced problem. However, it also suggested that Chinese consumers are increasingly aware of their interests and will report to authorities if their interests and rights are infringed upon.

Chinese Internet giant Alibaba reported over one trillion yuan ($163 billion) in transactions over its two popular online shopping services, Taobao and TMALL, back in 2012. On Nov. 11, 2013, unofficially celebrated as "Single's Day" in China, total transactions on the two platforms exceeded 35 billion yuan.

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