On the eve of the 618 shopping festival, Hisense TV has sparked controversy by canceling a large number of customer orders on e-commerce platforms. Recently, multiple consumers reported that their purchases of Hisense TVs from the "Hisense JD.com Self-operated Flagship Store" and the Taobao "Hisense Smart TV Flagship Store" were unilaterally canceled and refunded by the seller shortly after placing the orders. According to staff from the "Hisense Smart TV Flagship Store," an operational error led to "severely incorrect pricing," prompting the store to cancel "nearly ten thousand" orders, involving tens of millions of yuan. Using order numbers provided, JD.com's official customer service confirmed the existence of some of these canceled orders. Currently, Hisense's official customer service has acknowledged the incident, stating they can "assist in communication and handling by providing order numbers." However, many users remain dissatisfied with this "operational blunder," feeling they have been "deceived." A lawyer from Guangdong Haihou Law Firm noted in communication that "a seller forcibly canceling a confirmed order constitutes a breach of contract. Once a customer places an order and makes payment, a sales contract is established. The seller's cancellation or refusal to ship the goods constitutes a breach of contract. Customers can use evidence such as order screenshots and payment records to legally demand that the seller fulfill the contract or compensate for price difference losses." As of now, Hisense has not issued an official response to the incident.
Operational Oversight Leaves Many Buyers Empty-Handed Recently, a consumer (pseudonym Wang) purchased a Hisense TV for 2,714 yuan from the Taobao "Hisense Smart TV Flagship Store." However, the day after payment was completed, they received a refund notification. The notice stated: "Due to an operational oversight, a large number of products in the store were priced incorrectly, resulting in numerous mispriced orders that the store cannot fulfill. To apologize, we will compensate each paying customer with a 50 yuan cash red envelope." Subsequently, without Wang's consent, the store unilaterally canceled the order, nullifying the effort spent on comparing prices and selecting the TV. An apology obtained indicates that this "operational blunder" affected "nearly ten thousand" orders with a "total value reaching tens of millions," all of which cannot be shipped. This means approximately ten thousand customers who purchased from the store face order cancellations. On platforms like Xiaohongshu and the Black Cat Complaint platform, numerous consumers have reported experiencing "unilateral refunds," with some even stating they "cannot receive the promised 50 yuan cash" even after the refund. According to Taobao store qualification information, the "Hisense Smart TV Flagship Store" is operated by Nanjing Hengqian Lianxin Technology Co., Ltd., with a registered capital of 10 million yuan and legal representative Zhang Tingting. Store customer service explained that this is an authorized Hisense-operated store, with product shipping and after-sales quality assurance handled by Hisense. A related store manager added, "Due to the abnormal volume and high value of orders, shipment is indeed impossible. If interested in purchasing, consider other products, but the discounts will not be significant." Similarly, on the Hisense JD.com Self-operated Flagship Store, many consumers have reported their Hisense TV orders being unilaterally canceled after purchase. Using order numbers provided by consumers, JD.com's official customer service confirmed the existence and "canceled" status of related orders. However, JD.com did not provide a clear reason for the cancellations. The self-operated store's customer service revealed that the store is directly operated by JD.com, but customer service and after-sales are provided by Hisense. Hisense's official customer service responded, "We are aware of the issue. Users can provide order numbers, and we will communicate with the store for handling," but similarly did not address responsibility. The recurring order issues have raised questions about Hisense's selection and control over its sales channel partners. "With so many Hisense orders forcibly canceled, is it because you cannot fulfill the shipments, or are you being deliberately targeted?" one consumer remarked.
Lawyer: Forced Cancellation is a Breach, Price Difference Compensation Can Be Sought In communication, a lawyer from Guangdong Haihou Law Firm stated, "A seller forcibly canceling a confirmed order constitutes a breach of contract. Once a customer places an order and makes payment, a sales contract is established. The seller's cancellation or refusal to ship the goods constitutes a breach of contract. Customers can use evidence such as order screenshots and payment records to legally demand that the seller fulfill the contract or compensate for price difference losses." The lawyer cited Article 577 of the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China and Article 53 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, indicating that a party failing to perform contractual obligations or performing them inconsistently with the agreement shall bear liabilities such as continued performance, remedial measures, or compensation for losses. For businesses providing goods or services via advance payments, they must provide as agreed; failing to do so requires them to fulfill the agreement or refund the advance payment as requested by the consumer, and bear interest on the advance payment and reasonable expenses incurred by the consumer. Beyond order cancellation disputes, Hisense TVs have recently faced controversies over "price increases" and "malfunctions immediately after warranty expiration." Many users reported that during a pre-sale event on May 20th, products like the Hisense E7Q and E5Q Pro increased in price by approximately 600 to 1,200 yuan compared to pre-event prices, suggesting the pre-sale lacked sincerity. Furthermore, on platforms like Xiaohongshu and Black Cat, numerous users reported issues such as "screen flickering, darkening, or pixelation" occurring immediately after the three-year warranty period expired. Many consumers suspect Hisense intentionally controls product lifespan, with inherent design or component defects. On the Black Cat Complaint platform, there are currently over 8,665 complaints regarding Hisense TVs, with recent ones mostly focusing on sellers unilaterally canceling orders "refusing to ship" after purchase and product quality issues like "malfunctions immediately after warranty expiration."
TV Shipments Hit 16-Year Low, Hisense Faces Structural Profitability Challenges This year, the competitive landscape of the domestic TV industry is undergoing significant reshuffling. Earlier this month, Samsung Electronics announced its exit from the home appliance sales market in mainland China. This foreign giant, once the leader in the Chinese TV market for 14 consecutive years with a market share as high as 20%, has seen its domestic market share remain below 2% in recent years. A month ago, TCL Electronics acquired a 51% stake in Sony's Home Entertainment & Sound Products business for 75.4 billion yen, planning to integrate Sony's Bravia brand with TCL's display technology and supply chain, a move that has attracted widespread attention. Macro-level data is even more concerning. According to Luotu Technology data, China's TV market shipments in 2025 were only 32.895 million units, an 8.5% year-on-year decline, hitting a 16-year low since 2010. The retail scale nearly halved compared to the peak of 50.89 million units within the past decade. In Q1 2026, the market decline continued, with full-channel retail volume dropping 11.4% year-on-year to 6.4 million units. Samsung's exit and TCL's control over Sony's TV business mark the end of the era where foreign brands dominated China's high-end TV market, signaling that competition among domestic brands will enter a more intense phase. The fact that domestic TV sales have declined for several consecutive years reveals a harsh reality: domestic home appliance brands can only escape "low-price internal competition" by moving upmarket or seeking overseas expansion. However, the structural profitability challenges exposed in Hisense's financial reports are raising concerns about its upmarket move and future development. Data shows that Hisense Visual Technology Co.,Ltd.'s domestic gross margin in 2025 was 23.58%, while overseas it was only 12.03%, a gap of 11.55 percentage points. In comparison, the gap for TCL Electronics was only 6.7 percentage points. Although Hisense currently holds over 48% market share in the high-end TV market for 85-inch models priced above 20,000 yuan, the objective fact of overall market contraction limits its domestic growth potential. Meanwhile, while the overseas market continues to expand, it faces dual pressures: significant challenges in moving upmarket and low profits in the low-end segment. In the high-end brand sector, TCL is accelerating its offensive with the Sony brand, while Samsung and LG still hold absolute advantages in the global high-end market. The mid-to-low-end market offers thin profits and faces cross-border impact from new players like Xiaomi with their "cost-performance + smart features" approach. If Hisense cannot achieve substantial breakthroughs in channel control, brand premium capability, and product structure optimization, its globalization strategy may remain trapped in a dilemma of "larger scale, thinner profits" for the long term.
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