Over the past weekend, the topic "Man struggles to get refund after paying for 25 years of iQiyi membership" trended online. According to reports, a consumer from Xuchang, Henan recently discovered his iQiyi membership was paid from 2017 to 2043, yet he encountered difficulties obtaining a refund. "No matter how much I like iQiyi, I wouldn't pay for over 20 years of membership; my mortgage is only 30 years," he remarked. iQiyi officially responded that it had immediately initiated verification and started the refund process via the original payment channel. Because the user's original account was deactivated, to ensure fund security, the refund would be processed based on verification that the recipient's account belongs to the same person who made the payment, considering the user's specific circumstances.
The phenomenon of iQiyi continuously introducing new membership tiers with varying fees while reducing member benefits has been criticized in recent years. Some consumers summarized it as, "Platform fees are like nested dolls," and "Paying for an iQiyi membership feels like paying for nothing."
Regarding how the refund will be processed, iQiyi's initial customer service stated that because membership is a virtual product, refunds are impossible once activated, although unconsumed orders could be refunded. As the incident gained attention, iQiyi's latest response indicated agreement with the refund request, moving to operational details. The current issue lies in the specific refund method and channel. Previous reports suggested the user's account had 14 unconsumed annual membership orders. However, because his original Alipay account was deactivated and reportedly registered by someone else, customer service insisted on refunding "through the original channel," leading to a disagreement. The user, in a video, expressed disapproval of the original channel refund, accusing iQiyi of "evading responsibility and being inflexible," "insisting on unfair terms, and bullying customers due to its size, never prioritizing the client."
Some consumers questioned the user's account. They argued that Alipay does not support changing real-name registration, so the claim that his Alipay account was registered by someone else is invalid. A mobile number is just a login name; the actual account is not the number itself. This led to suspicions that the membership might not have been paid by the user, who now wants the money refunded to his card. Comments like "Alipay requires real-name verification; how could losing a phone number mean losing the Alipay account?" appeared on social platforms, suggesting the user's story is unreliable. Contacted for comment, Alipay customer service stated that if a user changes their phone number, the original Alipay account registered with the old number remains fully functional, with all funds, records, and services unaffected. Regarding whether a deactivated Alipay account can be re-registered by others, Alipay clarified that "deactivation" typically means account cancellation. A successfully cancelled account cannot be "revived" or "re-registered"; all account data becomes permanently invalid and unusable by anyone.
Legal experts stated that according to E-commerce law and judicial interpretations on prepaid consumption disputes effective in 2025, platforms cannot use standard clauses denying refunds for virtual products to exclude consumers' legal right to refunds and must provide reasonable refund mechanisms. If the original Alipay account is deactivated, objectively preventing refund receipt, the platform should allow users to submit payment vouchers and identity information for verification before legally refunding the amount.
"iQiyi has truly mastered the art of varied membership fees!" one consumer commented on the refund incident. "For example, previously, a VIP membership allowed unrestricted viewing. Later, they introduced SVIP, Kids membership, Sports membership, etc. Without upgrading your VIP, your access becomes limited." Indeed, iQiyi and other video platforms have long faced criticism for frequently introducing new membership tiers with increasing fees while diluting member benefits. Consumers aptly describe it as "platform fees resembling nested dolls."
In recent years, iQiyi has repeatedly faced scrutiny over changes to membership rules and fees. In October 2024, iQiyi amended its membership rules, announcing the launch of a Gold VIP Family Card service. Furthermore, new rules stipulated that Gold VIP members subscribed after November 12, 2024, could stream on only one device simultaneously, down from two devices for existing users and previously three. Consumers criticized the reduction in simultaneous device logins, arguing that families would need multiple accounts to watch together, which is inconvenient, and noting that the family account feature requires an additional fee.
In 2023, iQiyi abruptly changed rules, limiting Gold members' screen mirroring resolution to 480P, requiring Platinum or higher tiers for better quality, sparking strong dissatisfaction among long-term members. Following controversies like "forced ads" and "480P mirroring for Gold members," iQiyi's popular 2024 drama "Tree Shadow Maze" from its "Light On" theater took monetization further. The finale episodes were placed behind an additional paywall via a "Tree Shadow Maze Extra Episodes Pack," accessible through payment or points redemption, offering early access to the ending and unseen behind-the-scenes footage. One consumer who paid an extra 18 yuan for the pack to watch the final three episodes commented, "I have to complain; iQiyi really understands viewers' psychology—charging separately for the most exciting finale episodes, six yuan per episode, priced like a movie."
"Paying for an iQiyi membership feels pointless," lamented a Gold member, frustrated by the reduced mirroring quality affecting their viewing experience of favorite shows. The member publicly called out iQiyi on social media, saying, "Always scheming up these shady tricks." Another memorable incident involved iQiyi's handling of a key soccer match. The World Cup qualifier between China and Japan on September 5, 2024, crucial for China's World Cup hopes, attracted massive viewer interest. iQiyi Sports held exclusive domestic streaming rights, while CCTV Sports failed to secure them, citing "extremely exorbitant" pricing during negotiations. To watch the match on iQiyi, non-members had to pay 9 yuan for a membership or 318 yuan for an "iFootball Annual Card" specifically for that match. The topic "iQiyi charges to stream China national team match" trended online. However, many users reported in the live chat and on Weibo that even after purchasing membership, they couldn't access the stream initially, with service restored only after some delay.
Fundamentally, long-form video platforms appear to be facing an industry-wide dilemma. The "China Network Audio-Visual Development Research Report (2025)" shows that as of December 2024, China's short-form video user base reached 1.04 billion, and micro-drama users hit 662 million. Although the long-form video user base reached 752 million, a record high since 2018, the market shows fatigue in competing for monthly active users. After achieving operational profitability for three consecutive years since 2022, iQiyi showed signs of revenue decline, squeezed profit margins, and significantly weaker profitability indicators in 2024. Data reveals iQiyi's 2024 revenue dropped to 29.23 billion yuan, down 8% from 2023, with its core membership services revenue falling over 10% year-over-year. Additionally, reduced brand advertising led to an 8% contraction in online advertising service revenue.
iQiyi's profit margins were severely squeezed, with net profit margin plummeting 60%. Financial reports show 2024 operating profit fell to 1.81 billion yuan from 3 billion yuan in 2023, a 39% decrease; net income attributable to iQiyi was 764 million yuan, down 60% from 1.9 billion yuan in 2023; Non-GAAP net income was 1.51 billion yuan, a 47% drop from 2.84 billion yuan. iQiyi's 2024 operating profit margin was 6%, gross margin 31.7%, and net profit margin 2.6%, compared to 9%, 37.6%, and 6% respectively in 2023. The outlook for 2025 also appears grim. iQiyi's unaudited Q3 2025 report shows total revenue of 6.68 billion yuan, down 8% year-over-year; a net loss of nearly 250 million yuan contrasted with a net profit of nearly 230 million yuan in the same period last year, marking a shift from profit to loss. Analyzing Q3 2025, iQiyi's membership services, online advertising services, and content distribution revenues all declined compared to the previous year.
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