Buying products at unbelievably low prices via the Internet even from well-known and seemingly trustworthy shopping sites could be a frustrating experience at times. For one, online retailers can forget to ship some of the articles you have ordered, or mistakenly - or otherwise - cancel orders placed to cash in on special offers without even bothering to inform you through the phone or e-mail. The frustration increases when a buyer cannot figure out whom to turn to for help.

China Central Television once telecast an investigative program on a consumer's experience of buying a Casio watch from Dangdang.com, which started as a popular online bookstore and later developed into a comprehensive online shopping site.

Discovering that the serial number on the reverse side of the watch was different from the one on the box and that the watch itself was different from the one he had checked out at a Casio outlet, the consumer contacted the after-service center of the website. He was told that they would handle his complaint only after he provided proof, such as an authoritative inspection report, that the watch was counterfeit. The poor man, after being turned down by the local quality supervision department, finally got some help when he approached the Casio company, which verified that the watch was indeed a fake.

The e-commerce industry has grown by leaps and bounds in almost every conceivable sector - from books and home appliances to food products and daily necessities - in the past few years. According to iResearch figures, online trade was worth 1.304 trillion yuan ($212.56 billion) in 2012, a year-on-year increase of 66.2 percent and accounting for 6.3 percent of the total retail sales in China.

But the growth of the industry has been accompanied by rising problems, from the disappearance of group buying websites overnight to the delivery of counterfeit products. It is becoming increasingly difficult for online buyers to protect even their basic rights. For example, since the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Consumers does not have specific clauses on the fast growing online retail industry, online consumers have a tough time getting refunds or replacements for unsatisfactory products.

Many people prefer online shopping for its convenience - they can buy almost anything without stepping out of their homes and at cheaper prices, too. But many times the quality of the delivered goods are inferior and after-sales service is almost non-existent to help solve consumers' problems.

Up to 84.2 percent of the respondents to a recent China Youth Daily survey said that it is difficult to protect their rights if they shop online and their top three problems include "false description" (63.1 percent), "delivery of fake products" (41.9 percent) and "lack of after-sales service" (37.6 percent). Industry insiders agree that once a consumer is delivered fake or inferior products, it will be difficult for him/her to get their quality authenticated. Besides, the process could demand a lot of time and money.

Fortunately, China's top legislature is reviewing a draft amendment to the Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Consumers, which was promulgated about two decades ago. The draft amendments include provisions that allow consumers to lodge complaints on the quality of goods within seven days of getting delivery from online shopping sites and empower consumers' association to litigate on behalf of consumers.

But despite being welcomed by many consumers, the amended law will still be difficult to implement because of lack of details. For instance, what happens if an online retailer refuses to honor the provision of "return of goods without reason in seven days"?

The situation will improve only if quality watchdogs crack down on online sites that dupe consumers by shipping them counterfeit or inferior products. And for this, we need the active involvement of industrial and commercial departments as well as branded companies, whose legitimate copyrights have been breached by online retailers. Besides, e-commerce platforms should strengthen their supervision.

Last year, Taobao joined branded companies to launch a crackdown on counterfeit products and deduct credibility points of unlawful retailers using the Taobao website. The move produced quite good results, and Taobao has decided to take similar action against retailers infringing upon intellectual property rights and delivering counterfeit or inferior products.

But the real onus is on consumers. They have to be careful while hunting for bargains and think twice before buying a product offered by an online site at a price that is incredibly low.

The author is a reporter with China Daily.

E-mail: xiaolixin@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily USA 05/29/2013 page12)