A leasson to be learn

This is going to be an interesting topic this week. Let face it we are shop and over shop and some time even impulse buy.

Shoppers beware if you are shopping in China. Think twice and consider hard, look at all the options before you swipe that card, or (cash which is preferred). What you purchase will be forever yours.

There are certainly some exception like (foreign stores), you already pay more than you shop anywhere else with the same item, plus two extra Tax you have to pay for import goods. In that case you may be able to get them to “exchange your item”, but for a refund. Sorry dear, that is almost unheard of, there were no customer service to speak of, just lots of forms, and lots of questions, if you have a free day, with nothing else better to do, you may be successful.

If you wish for a refund from goods you purchase from a local store, your patience will be on trail. The clerk often told you refund is prohibited and not permitted in China and walk away. (Imagine yourself in one of those movies where you were left in a busy shopping mall holding the bag, while the camera pan away for a wider shot, there were hundreds of people surrounding you all going about their own business, and you were there standing alone. The shot get wider, and you get smaller, until you bend into the crowd and disappeared. Got it. That is the image.

Of course there may be some instances that you hit the jackpot after filling out many forms and investigated, more like interrogated for hours in the managers office. You may get your refund. The question is, does it worth your time.

I suspected this might be the only way my host country knew to discourage or even eliminate corruption (kick back). The following is my encounter that spark this blog story:

I subscribe to a foreign cable service. In the 4 months I had the service. My cable service went down 5 times, each time took them 3-4 days to get it running again. Some time the service disconnected as soon as the technician left the apt. It happened again three days ago, and again tonight, out of frustration I told the service technician that this would be the last time I put up with this nonsense, if the cable company can’t fix the problem. I wanted my refund, (Since cable service were pay once a year). She kindly informed me with a smile that it is not permitted in China. “What do you mean by not permitted?” I asked. She said “No refund, it is the law”.

The firecracker within me exploded. I have to give them a whole year of the cable fee up front when the service is not performed correctly; I was told I wouldn’t get my money back. I found out later it is the norm; you just had to put up with it.

What do you think? I figure the worst it could happen if I protested in front of the largest state own cable company headquarter, might be hotel Siberia with breakfast lunch and dinner included for a while, you think that worth a trial? : O

Would you come to my rescue?

I know some of you will raise holy hell if you were in the same situation, but then it is China, your protest usually fell on death ear. You can either go with the flow or you can just get mad and go nowhere.

The point is that if this country wanted to join the first world as a world power, she must give her people the most basic of choice, after all it is hard earn money from my own savings. Your thought?

Chance Encounter NYC