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Since the beginning of this year, the price of gold has been rising frequently, and the domestic gold market has remained hot. Among them, the uniquely shaped "one-price" gold jewelry is loved by many consumers. However, after purchasing "one-price" gold jewelry, some consumers found that its conversion by gram was much higher than the market price, and it was even more difficult to exchange or return it, and they felt that they were tricked by the merchants. Data provided by "Consumer Insurance" shows that the platform has received more than 7,000 complaints about gold jewelry this year, of which complaints about gold products accounted for 80%, and complaints about "one-price" gold accounted for 62% of the gold complaints. What exactly is a "one-price" gold jewelry? Can gold jewelry merchants sell it at a "one-price"? What mysteries are hidden in this sales model, and why is it frequently complained by consumers?

The gold ring with a fixed price of 1,695 yuan weighs only 1.39 grams

Recently, Ms. Huang from Guangdong went to a local jewelry store to buy a piece of gold jewelry as her birthday gift. At the recommendation of the store clerk, she finally chose a "fixed price" gold ring.

Consumer Ms. Huang: I thought the style was OK at the time. The tag had the price but not the weight. We also wanted to know the weight when we bought gold, but they refused to tell us.

During the purchase process, Ms. Huang kept asking the clerk about the weight of the ring and other related information, but the clerk said that "fixed price" jewelry can only be weighed after purchase.

After the salesperson's strong sales pitch, Ms. Huang finally bought the gold ring, which was priced at 2,260 yuan, at a discounted price of 1,695 yuan. Afterwards, Ms. Huang asked the salesperson to weigh it on the spot, and found that the ring weighed only 1.39 grams.

Consumer Ms. Huang: The current market price in physical stores is 600 to 700 yuan per gram. So the price we paid for 1.39 grams is 1,695 yuan, which is equivalent to 1,219 yuan per gram, which is completely inconsistent with the current market price.

After discovering the problem, Ms. Huang immediately asked the store clerk for a return, but was rejected.

Similar to Ms. Huang’s experience, Ms. Li from Jiangxi also encountered the troubles brought by the “fixed price” gold jewelry.

Consumer Ms. Li: We saw a gold bracelet that was priced at more than 9,000 yuan, and we liked it right away. The gold shop said that the bracelet was only 9,000 yuan, with no other fees. I thought the bracelet was pretty and thick, so I bought it.

After wearing it for two months, Ms. Li wanted to exchange the bracelet for a new one. However, when she weighed it in the jewelry shop, she found that it was much lighter than she expected.

Consumer Ms. Li: I went to another gold shop to exchange it for a new one. But when I exchanged it, the clerk of another shop told me that the bracelet was only about 7 grams, and if it was based on the current gold price, it could only be exchanged for a bracelet worth more than 5,000 yuan.

Ms. Li said that according to the gold price when she bought the bracelet, she could have bought 12 grams of gold. But now it is only 7 grams, which is nearly 40% less, which made her feel surprised and angry. So she went to the gold shop where she originally bought the bracelet to seek an explanation.

Consumer Ms. Li: The jewelry store told me that when I bought it, they told me that this was a "fixed price" product, but after such a long time, they refused to let me return the product. I was very angry at the time, but there was nothing I could do. I felt that I was tricked by the store.

The simple and clear “one price” is not simple in reality

According to industry insiders, the "one-price" gold jewelry sales model, which sounds simple and straightforward, has hidden mysteries. Most of these gold jewelry only have the price, gold content, and craftsmanship marked, and the weight is rarely marked in a prominent position. Some even do not mark the weight at all. Even if consumers like the style and want to calculate the price themselves, many merchants will avoid talking about it. Such an "avoidant" attitude is not only easy to mislead consumers in the initial transaction, but also makes consumers face certain difficulties in subsequent returns and exchanges.

Industry insiders said that compared with gold jewelry sold by gram, "one-price" gold jewelry is more exquisite in style and more complicated in craftsmanship. Gold of the same gram weight can be made larger, so it is popular among some young people. However, if calculated according to the final selling price, the price per gram of "one-price" gold jewelry is much higher than the gold price on that day.

The reporter learned that the gold price of the store was 605 yuan per gram on that day. Taking into account the processing fee of more than 100 yuan per gram, the unit price of the "one-price" gold was 1,300 yuan per gram, which was more than 500 yuan higher than the gold price on that day. Obviously, this kind of gold jewelry is expensive, far more than ordinary jewelry priced by weight.

Law enforcement officers check and make it clear that merchants should truthfully inform the weight

Should the weight of such "fixed price" gold jewelry be clearly marked? Why don't the store clerks proactively inform consumers of the weight or weigh it on the spot? The reporter reported the various problems he learned about the "fixed price" gold jewelry to the local market supervision department in Dongguan, Guangdong, and law enforcement officers went to the merchants to conduct an investigation.

When the law enforcement officers unfolded the labels, they discovered that the inside of the "fixed price" product tags had the product weight marked on them, but the store clerk deliberately chose to conceal this from consumers when selling the products.

After patient education and explanation by law enforcement officers, the jewelry store said it had recognized the shortcomings in its service and agreed to process a return and refund for Ms. Huang on the spot.

Chen Guohua, Chief of the Law Enforcement Section of Dalang Branch of Dongguan Municipal Administration for Market Regulation: Sales personnel should clearly and truthfully provide detailed information about the products, and should not conceal or provide any untrue information.

The Consumer Protection Law of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulates that consumers have the right to know the true situation of goods, and business operators must provide true and comprehensive information about goods and must not make false or misleading propaganda. Even for "fixed price" gold jewelry, its composition and weight information are of great interest to consumers. Merchants should mark the composition and weight so that consumers can make purchasing choices with full knowledge.

"One price" is acceptable but it should be operated with integrity and understand consumption

Can merchants sell gold jewelry with a fixed price? Experts say the answer is yes, but the prerequisite is that merchants must operate with integrity and let consumers understand consumption.

Relevant experts said that "fixed price" gold jewelry is not the same as the international gold price, including some investment gold bars, and the price is also quite different. The price of gold jewelry is divided into two parts: one is the price of gold itself; the other is the process fee or processing fee generated by different processes. At present, there is no unified standard and requirement for the purity of "fixed price" gold products. However, whether it is sold at a "fixed price" or by weight, it does not violate the law. The key is that consumers should not be misled when selling.

The Price Law clearly stipulates that operators shall not use false or misleading pricing methods to induce consumers or other operators to trade with them.

The Regulations on Clearly Marking Prices and Prohibiting Price Fraud clearly stipulates that not marking or significantly weakening the price conditions that are unfavorable to consumers or other operators, and deceiving consumers or other operators to trade with them, is price fraud and should be prohibited. Industry insiders remind merchants to operate with integrity.

Ji Fang, associate professor at China University of Political Science and Law: Important information about the quality, specifications, and price composition of the goods purchased by consumers must be truthfully disclosed. When consumers raise relevant questions, their questions must be answered directly in clear and concise language.

(Source: CCTV News Client)