news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

although individual stores that defraud consumers cannot represent the collective image of local practitioners, in the internet age where "everyone has a microphone", we must guard against the phenomenon of "one bad apple spoiling the whole barrel".

chen guangjiang丨staff

on september 7, a 16-year-old boy in xixi beiyuan, yuhang district, hangzhou, was asked to pay 4,000 yuan for a haircut and perm at a barber shop, which led to a dispute between the two parties. the boy then called the police for help. on september 8, the market supervision bureau of yuhang district, hangzhou city issued a situation report stating that after preliminary investigation, the barber shop was suspected of consumer fraud and the bureau has filed a case for investigation. the market supervision department will seriously deal with any behavior that harms the rights of consumers in accordance with laws and regulations.

a teenager was charged 4,000 yuan for a haircut, which is beyond common sense. of course, if the price is clearly marked and the consumption is transparent, it is understandable. the key problem is that the barbershop involved deliberately obscured the price before and during the process, inducing the teenager to consume without knowing the truth, and then presented the "sky-high bill" afterwards. setting traps and tripping up consumers is too ugly for the merchants.

consumers may not be professional and do not understand the market, but they are not without common sense. some businesses try to be clever with consumers, and it is only a matter of time before they get into trouble. the video circulating online shows that when faced with a 4,000 yuan bill, the police officer responded to the store owner on the spot and supported the teenager. this also shows that it is not uncommon for police to deal with consumer fraud such as barbershops.

in fact, the "sky-high haircut" incident is not an isolated case. according to reports, in june 2021, mr. zheng in hangzhou went to get a haircut and was recommended to have an eyebrow trim. when he checked out, he was dumbfounded: eyebrows were calculated by the root, 88 yuan each, and a total of 53 eyebrows were trimmed, totaling more than 4,000 yuan; in may 2022, mr. liu in hangzhou was recommended by the barber shop to have a "perm" for 398 yuan, but his hair was divided into 12 areas, each area was charged 398 yuan, and the total cost was 4,776 yuan; in september 2022, a takeaway boy in hangzhou originally only wanted to spend 10 yuan to cut his hair, but was recommended to do styling and skin care, and ended up spending more than 10,000 yuan...

although individual stores that cheat consumers cannot represent the collective image of local practitioners, in the internet age where "everyone has a microphone", we must be careful of the phenomenon of "one bad apple spoiling the whole barrel". the repeated chaos of "sky-high haircuts" has caused criticism for hangzhou's beauty and hairdressing industry, and has also caused great pain to the "tony teachers" who operate honestly and law-abidingly, and even damaged the city's image.

during the 2023 spring festival, the local media metropolis express reported in a report titled "is hangzhou's barber industry unfair?" that "no matter where the phenomenon of overcharging occurs, 'hangzhou doesn't cut hair' will be included in the strategy for avoiding spoilers. this sentence seems to have become an unremovable 'curse' for hangzhou's beauty and hairdressing industry, and it has also affected the overall evaluation of hangzhou's business environment." the report pointed out that in the face of the hangzhou barber industry, which "explodes every year", it is hoped that relevant departments can strengthen supervision.

in recent years, although local relevant departments have stepped up their efforts to rectify the situation, the chaos has not been eradicated. some illegal businesses are still taking chances and taking risks to make money quickly, and there are even signs of "bad money driving out good money". in order to remove the "tightening curse" and reverse the industry's reputation, regulatory authorities should further strengthen daily inspections and surprise inspections, severely punish "bad apples" in accordance with the law, significantly increase the cost of violations, and form a deterrent effect. at the same time, industry associations should play an active role, strengthen industry self-discipline, and effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.

after the incident in which a teenager was asked to pay 4,000 yuan for a haircut, local regulatory authorities quickly intervened in the investigation and responded to social concerns in a timely manner, which also reflected a "zero tolerance" attitude towards illegal acts. relevant departments should take this typical case as an opportunity to further strengthen market supervision, purify the market environment, reshape the industry image, and create a fair, transparent and safe consumption environment for consumers.