Gome taken to court over energy efficiency label problems

A man has filed an RMB 140,000 lawsuit against the online sales division of electrical appliance retailer Gome (国美) for mislabeling a TV’s energy efficiency rating. He is demanding a refund and three times the original selling price in compensation from the Beijing-based company. A Haidian Court in the capital has accepted the case, according to Sina News (in Chinese). Consumer rights legislation in China is actually rather robust if a complainant can get a case heard.

Mr. Wang bought three identical Samsung TVs from the well-known retailer’s online platform, a separate limited liability company. The televisions had 65-inch screens and were described as “Grade 1” for energy efficiency. Once he received the goods, Mr. Wang found that all the China Energy Rating labels on the TV sets clearly stated grade 2. As energy ratings were part of his reasoning for choosing the model and spending more on them for this, Mr. Wang contacted customer service for help.

He was informed by the helpline that the date for getting a refund had already passed and nothing could be done. So Mr. Wang took the case to court claiming that the company had misrepresented the product causing him to buy an unsuitable model.

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