Guangdong Province Laundry and Cleaning Industry Consumer Dispute Resolution Measures

Article 1 To safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and operators in this province, regulate the business conduct of the laundry and cleaning industry, and fairly, justly, and reasonably resolve consumer disputes arising in the laundry and cleaning industry, based on the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests" and the "Guangdong Province Implementation Measures for the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests" and relevant laws and regulations, and combined with the actual situation of the laundry and cleaning industry in this province, after consultation with the Guangdong Provincial Consumer Council and Guangzhou Consumer Council, formulated by the Guangdong Laundry and Dyeing Industry Association and Guangdong Federation of Industry and Commerce Laundry and Cleaning Industry Chamber of Commerce, and adopted by all members through these measures.

Article 1 To safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and operators in this province, regulate the business conduct of the laundry and cleaning industry, and fairly, justly, and reasonably resolve consumer disputes arising in the laundry and cleaning industry, based on the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests" and the "Guangdong Province Implementation Measures for the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests" and relevant laws and regulations, and combined with the actual situation of the laundry and cleaning industry in this province, after consultation with the Guangdong Provincial Consumer Council and Guangzhou Consumer Council, formulated by the Guangdong Laundry and Dyeing Industry Association and Guangdong Federation of Industry and Commerce Laundry and Cleaning Industry Chamber of Commerce, and adopted by all members through these measures.

Article 2 All association member units and chamber of commerce member units engaged in the laundry and cleaning industry in this province shall consciously abide by these measures.

Article 3 When accepting laundry items, the operator shall inspect and inform the consumer in person of any stains, wear (damage), color degree, fastness, moth damage, mildew, missing parts, or other defects or flaws on the clothing, as well as any adverse consequences that may occur after washing, and note these on the washing receipt, with both parties signing for confirmation. In case of missed inspection or other situations, the operator must contact the consumer within two days (based on the date on the washing receipt) and obtain written confirmation from the consumer before washing; otherwise, the operator shall bear the consequences arising therefrom.

Article 4 Consumers may choose between non-valued washing or valued washing when sending laundry. For non-valued washing, the washing fee is charged according to the non-valued washing standard; for valued washing, the washing fee is charged at a certain percentage (not exceeding 5%) of the declared valued amount by the consumer, but not less than the non-valued washing fee standard.

Article 5 When consumers collect washed clothes, operators shall remind consumers to inspect the quality and quantity of the washed clothes on site and raise any issues immediately. For consumers who choose valued washing, if they inspect the quality and quantity of the clothes on site and raise no objections, and complete the collection procedures and leave the store, it shall be deemed that the valued washing agreement is fully completed with no mutual liability; for consumers who choose non-valued washing, if quality issues caused by missed inspection during washing are found after leaving the store, they must raise the issue with the operator within two days (based on the actual date of collection), and the operator shall provide rework.

Article 6 If the clothes fail to meet the washing standards after washing, the operator shall provide free rework. If after one rework the quality requirements are still not met, the operator shall refund the washing fee to the consumer, except for stains declared before washing that cannot be removed or can only be removed as much as possible.

Article 7 If the clothes are partially damaged after washing, the operator shall repair them. For clothes that have been repaired, cannot be repaired, or are lost, the operator shall compensate the consumer as follows:

(1) For consumers choosing non-valued washing, if quality problems occur after washing and the clothes still have wear value after repair, the operator shall compensate six times the washing fee of the clothes; if the clothes cannot be repaired or are lost, the operator shall compensate twenty times the washing fee of the clothes;

(2) For consumers choosing valued washing, if quality problems occur after washing and the clothes still have wear value after repair, the operator shall compensate 25% of the consumer's declared valued amount; if the clothes cannot be repaired or are lost, the operator shall compensate the full declared valued amount;

Article 8 If the clothes cannot be repaired and the operator has compensated the consumer, the clothes shall belong to the operator. If the consumer wants to retrieve the clothes, the following shall apply:

(1) For non-valued washing, compensation shall be thirteen times the washing fee of the clothes;

(2) For valued washing, compensation shall be 70% of the declared valued amount of the clothes.

Article 9 If the clothes have material or manufacturing quality issues, or if the consumer insists on washing according to the instructions on the clothing label despite errors in the label's guidance, or according to the consumer's specified washing method, causing shrinkage, thread loss, fading, color transfer, color matching, adhesive lining bubbling, or other phenomena after washing, and if the statutory department's appraisal determines that it is not the operator's responsibility, the operator shall not compensate but is obliged to provide relevant proof to the consumer and assist the consumer in claiming compensation from the distributor.

Article 10 For quality disputes difficult to identify during washing services, the washed clothes may be sent to the relevant statutory department for appraisal. The operator and consumer shall sign an appraisal agreement, with the appraisal fee initially advanced by the proposing party and ultimately borne by the responsible party.

Article 11 If the operator fails to deliver the clothes to the consumer on the agreed date, the operator shall promptly notify the consumer and compensate the consumer RMB 2 per item per day starting from the 5th day of delay. If the consumer fails to collect the clothes on the agreed date, the operator is obliged to remind the consumer. Starting from the 15th day of delay, the operator may charge the consumer RMB 1 per item per day as storage fees; if the clothes are not collected for more than 3 months, it shall be deemed that the consumer has voluntarily abandoned ownership rights, and the operator has the right to dispose of the clothes independently.

Article 12 If the operator commits fraud during the washing service by passing off water washing as dry cleaning or unwashed items as washed, the operator shall refund the washing fee to the consumer and pay an additional compensation equal to the washing fee. If the clothes are damaged, compensation shall be made according to Article 7.

Article 13 If consumers and operators have disputes that cannot be resolved through negotiation, they may file a complaint with the Consumer Committee, appeal to the relevant administrative department, submit to arbitration according to the arbitration agreement reached by both parties, or directly file a lawsuit with the People's Court.

Article 14 If this measure conflicts with laws, regulations, or rules, the laws, regulations, or rules shall prevail.

Article 15 This measure is interpreted by the Guangdong Laundry and Dyeing Industry Association and the Guangdong Federation of Industry and Commerce Laundry and Cleaning Industry Chamber of Commerce.

Article 16 This measure shall come into effect from the date of promulgation, and the original "Guangdong Laundry Business [2003] No. 028 Guangdong Laundry and Cleaning Consumer Dispute Resolution Measures" shall be repealed simultaneously.

                   March 21, 2007