During a sweltering heatwave, a consumer in urgent need of cooling relief fell victim to misleading online advertising. Mr. Li believed he was purchasing a well-known Gree Electric Appliances,Inc.Of Zhuhai air conditioner, but just before delivery, he discovered the product was actually a sub-brand of Rongsheng called YO. Enraged by what he sees as a tactic to piggyback on a major brand's reputation, he is now demanding a refund of triple the purchase price as compensation.
On July 27, Mr. Li urgently needed an air conditioner for his home. While browsing products on an e-commerce platform, he noticed a listing prominently featuring the "Gree" brand name. Trusting the reputation of the well-known brand, he placed an order immediately. The product's full title was lengthy and cluttered, describing it as a "1.5-pi variable frequency cooling and heating wall-mounted air conditioner YO first-level energy efficiency home parking air conditioner 1.5-pi variable frequency cooling and heating pure copper pipe first-level." On a mobile screen, the actual brand name "YO" was buried within this long string of text, making it extremely easy for consumers to overlook.
After making the payment, Mr. Li grew increasingly suspicious about the product details. He proactively contacted the seller to confirm the brand and received an unexpected response. The seller clearly stated that the product was a YO brand unit, a sub-brand of Rongsheng, and was not a Gree product, though it used a compressor of Gree's quality. This explanation convinced Mr. Li that he had been misled by false advertising, and he immediately requested to refuse the delivery and initiated a refund.
Following the dispute, Mr. Li cited the relevant provisions of the Consumer Rights Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, filing a complaint with the platform and demanding a refund of triple the purchase price. On August 3, Mr. Li successfully received a full refund for the air conditioner. However, the platform only offered a 100 yuan red envelope as compensation, a proposal he firmly rejected. Mr. Li stated that he lives on the top floor of his building and, without the air conditioner, the extreme heat forced him and his family to stay in a hotel for several days. He emphasized that this misleading sales incident caused significant inconvenience and additional financial losses.
A customer service representative from the official Gree store on the platform said they were only responsible for their own store's operations and had no knowledge of the promotional or sales activities of other stores, declining to comment on the issue of using the Gree brand name for promotion. Regarding this dispute, lawyer Meng Bo from Jingshi Law Firm explained that consumers have the right to know the true information about their purchases. The seller's method of deliberately highlighting the "Gree" name while concealing the actual brand constitutes misleading false advertising, violating the Consumer Rights Protection Law and the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, and is suspected of consumer fraud. He also added that e-commerce platforms have a responsibility to audit the qualifications of merchants and promptly address non-compliant product listings.
As of the time of this report, the air conditioner in question was still available for purchase on the platform. Mr. Li has now consulted a lawyer and plans to take legal action against the seller to protect his rights. This news outlet will continue to follow the developments of this case.
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