Suzhou City Laundry Industry Consumer Dispute Mediation Measures (Trial)

2005-09-27 11:11:55
Suzhou City Laundry Industry Consumer Dispute Mediation Measures (Trial)
To effectively regulate the business conduct of the laundry industry, improve the service quality of operators, protect consumers' legitimate rights and interests, and promptly and effectively resolve consumer rights disputes, based on the "Consumer Rights Protection Law of the People's Republic of China", "Jiangsu Province Implementation Measures of the Consumer Rights Protection Law" and relevant laws and regulations, combined with the actual situation in Suzhou, these "Measures" are formulated.

2005-09-27 11:11:55

Suzhou City Laundry Industry Consumer Dispute Mediation Measures (Trial)

To effectively regulate the business conduct of the laundry industry, improve the service quality of operators, protect consumers' legitimate rights and interests, and promptly and effectively resolve consumer rights disputes, based on the "Consumer Rights Protection Law of the People's Republic of China", "Jiangsu Province Implementation Measures of the Consumer Rights Protection Law" and relevant laws and regulations, combined with the actual situation in Suzhou, these "Measures" are formulated.
　　1. Operators engaged in the laundry industry in this city (including laundry departments within various hotels and inns) shall comply with national laws, regulations, and these "Measures".
　　2. Operators shall publicly display their business licenses, various service items, complaint phone numbers, and charging standards in prominent places in the store, consciously accepting consumer supervision.
　　3. When accepting clothes sent by consumers for washing, operators shall implement the "Four Clears": clearly check, clearly inquire, clearly explain, and clearly write. They must declare in advance to consumers and note on the receipt any defects such as damage, missing parts, discoloration, moth holes, repaired areas on the clothes, as well as possible consequences after processing. If any omissions are found later, operators must contact consumers before processing to explain. Otherwise, operators shall bear responsibility for any adverse consequences.
　　4. For stains on clothes that may not be removed, operators shall declare this to consumers in advance. If the "Four Clears" are not followed and stains remain after washing, operators shall refund or compensate 50% to 80% of the washing fee to consumers.
　　5. For quality problems inherent in the clothes themselves, as well as shrinkage, deformation, thread loss, fading, mismatched colors, color bleeding, or bubbling of adhesive interlinings caused by incorrect washing labels, operators shall provide consumers with valid proof to support and assist consumers in complaining to dealers or manufacturers.
　　6. Operators are not responsible for unforeseeable potential defects on clothes sent by consumers, such as moth holes not yet shedding fibers, exposed bases, visible holes; shedding fibers, exposed bases, visible holes after washing; original chemical corrosion causing damage after washing; stubborn stains hidden under heavily soiled areas becoming obvious after washing; narrow seams causing thread loss or damage after washing; chemical patching revealing original shape after washing; down jackets smelling after standard washing or filling contaminating the fabric.
　　7. Certain clothes showing hidden stains reappearing after standard dry cleaning, or contamination of fabric in pockets or waistband linings, are purely clothing quality issues. Operators are not responsible but should provide valid proof to support and assist consumers in complaining to clothing dealers.
　　8. Dry cleaning shops without proper dry cleaning equipment, using water washing to impersonate dry cleaning, cutting corners, or using counterfeit and inferior dry cleaning machines to deceive consumers, shall compensate the original price of damaged clothes if washing accidents occur.
　　9. Operators shall be responsible for compensation for damage, loss, or other accidents caused by poor management, improper operation, or violation of operating procedures. Specific compensation methods are as follows:
　　1. If only part of the item is problematic but does not affect normal wear, repair shall be the main approach, with compensation not exceeding ten times the washing fee.
　　2. If the item is damaged and loses its wearing value (except for leather clothing cleaning), compensation shall be 20 to 30 times the washing fee.
　　3. For lost items, compensation shall be made based on depreciation calculated annually at a rate of 25%, with a maximum depreciation rate of 50%.
　　4. Compensation is generally calculated per item, with a ratio of 6:4 for ordinary clothes; for high-end clothes and pants (valued above 1300 yuan), the ratio is 7:3.
　　5. For valuable clothes, famous brands, and items valued above 1300 yuan, consumers may agree in writing with operators for value-preserving fine washing services. The fee for value-preserving fine washing shall not exceed 30% of the consumer's quoted price. Clothes without such agreement shall be treated as ordinary clothes for washing.
　　6. Compensation for fashion styles shall be based on whether the style is still popular, using either replacement pricing or current market price, then depreciated accordingly. For high-end fashion clothes sent for washing near or after the end of the fashion season (or year), replacement pricing shall be 50% or even 30% of the value before depreciation. The replacement price mainly refers to the fabric value of the clothes.
　　7. For value-preserving fine washed high-end and precious clothes that suffer washing accidents but still have wearing value, compensation shall be 30% to 50% of the value-preserving amount. If the wearing value is lost, full compensation shall be made based on the value-preserving amount.
　　10. In case of disputes over accident responsibility that are difficult to determine during washing services, consumers may agree to send the matter to relevant departments for appraisal. The appraisal fee shall be advanced by the operator, with the consumer providing an equal amount as a guarantee. The party ultimately responsible shall bear all inspection costs.
　　11. Consumers shall collect clothes with a collection receipt. If the receipt is lost, damaged, or illegible, consumers shall promptly go to the laundry shop to report the loss, provide a copy of the ID of the person who sent the clothes for washing, fill out a loss report, and then collect the clothes.
　　12. Consumers shall inspect the quality of washed clothes when collecting them. Once the collection receipt is exchanged and the consumer leaves the laundry shop, the relationship between the consumer and operator is considered established.
　　13. If consumers find quality problems with washed clothes when collecting them, they shall keep the collection receipt and explain the situation to the operator to negotiate dispute resolution. If consumers intend to complain, appeal, or litigate with relevant departments, they shall promptly complete the necessary procedures. Upon receiving notice from relevant departments regarding consumer dispute handling, the main person in charge or authorized representative of the operator must arrive at the site on time to cooperate with mediation.
　　14. Operators are obliged to keep consumers' clothes sent for washing, but if kept for more than one month, operators are no longer responsible for storage. Storage fees shall be negotiated between operators and consumers. If consumers request re-washing, additional fees apply. If clothes are stored for more than two years, operators may treat them as unclaimed property.
　　15. If a dispute arises between the consumer and the operator requiring compensation, it can be resolved through direct negotiation with the operator. If negotiation fails, mediation can be sought through the laundry industry association. Complaints can be filed with the consumer association or appeals made to the industrial and commercial administrative departments. Arbitration can also be applied for through arbitration institutions, or a lawsuit can be directly filed with the people's court.
　　16. When mediating consumer dispute conflicts, both parties must be present. Non-parties are not allowed to participate in the mediation process; otherwise, relevant departments will not accept or handle the mediation.
If, due to special circumstances, a party cannot be present in person, they need to entrust an agent. The entrusted person must submit a valid power of attorney and present identification.
　　17. After the mediation of consumer dispute conflicts is completed, the mediation agreement must be signed in writing by both parties to take effect, and the responsible party must fulfill the compensation obligations.
　　18. Interpretation is the responsibility of the Suzhou Consumer Association and the Suzhou Laundry Industry Association.
　　19. This regulation has been in effect since September 1, 2003. If the content of the "Suzhou Dry Cleaning Industry Service Quality Dispute Mediation Issuance" formulated before the implementation of this regulation conflicts with this regulation, this regulation shall prevail.