Guangdong Province Laundry and Washing Consumption Dispute Resolution Measures

Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1 To protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and operators in this province, and to promptly, justly, fairly, and reasonably resolve disputes over washing quality arising in the provision and acceptance of laundry services, these measures are formulated in accordance with the "Consumer Rights Protection Law of the People's Republic of China," the "Guangdong Province Implementation Measures of the Consumer Rights Protection Law of the People's Republic of China," combined with the particularity of laundry service contracts and the actual situation of the laundry industry, to regulate the business conduct of the laundry industry.

Article 2 These measures apply to all laundry operators and consumers sending laundry within Guangdong Province. These measures apply to the rapid claim settlement of washing disputes, based on the principle of mutual consent.

Chapter 2 Contract Formation

Article 3 When consumers send laundry, they may independently choose between negotiated and non-negotiated washing items. Operators must inspect the laundry upon acceptance, and after inspection, inform the consumer face-to-face of any stains, shrinkage, color bleeding, wear (damage), moth damage, mildew, missing parts, and other defects on the laundry, and note these on the laundry service contract, which must be signed by both parties to establish the contract.

Chapter 3 Non-Negotiated Washing

Article 4 Non-negotiated laundry washing fees shall be charged according to the prices displayed in the store's public laundry price list.

Article 5 If any omissions are found during the pre-washing inspection of non-negotiated laundry or if adverse consequences may arise after washing, the consumer must be notified within 72 hours. After both parties confirm the omissions or other issues, washing may proceed; if quality problems are discovered more than 72 hours after the store receives or the consumer collects the laundry, the party responsible for storing the laundry shall bear responsibility.

Article 6 If non-negotiated laundry does not meet the laundry industry quality standards after washing, the operator shall rewash and iron it once. If it still does not meet the standards after rework, the washing fee shall be refunded, except for stains that were noted before washing as unable to be removed or only partially removable, and clothes that cannot be restored by ironing.

Article 7 For laundry with quality defects noted before washing, if other quality problems are found after washing, the operator shall compensate 1 to 3 times the washing fee; if serious damage or loss occurs after washing, the operator shall compensate 3 to 5 times the washing fee.

Article 8 For laundry noted as having no quality defects before washing, if minor quality problems appear after washing, the operator shall compensate 4 to 6 times the washing fee; if serious damage or loss occurs after washing, the operator shall compensate 6 to 9 times the washing fee.

Article 9 For brand-new laundry with tags noted before washing, if damage or loss occurs after washing, the operator shall compensate 10 to 20 times the washing fee.

Article 10 If buttons or accessories are damaged or lost after washing and the operator cannot replace them, the operator shall compensate 1 to 2 times the washing fee.

Article 11 If the quality problem is due to the fabric or garment manufacturing itself, or if the washing instructions on the garment label are incorrect and the operator has warned of the risks but the consumer still signs to confirm washing according to the label instructions, the operator shall not compensate for shrinkage, thread loss, hardening, fading, color bleeding, color mixing, adhesion, bubbling, or other phenomena caused by washing, but is obligated to provide relevant proof and assist the consumer in claiming compensation from the dealer or manufacturer.

Chapter 4 Negotiated Washing

Article 12 When consumers send laundry with special commemorative significance, valuable items, or items with special risks, they may choose negotiated washing.

Article 13 The washing fee for negotiated laundry shall be negotiated between the consumer and the operator based on the difficulty and risk of washing, charged at 5% to 20% of the laundry's estimated value; special items shall be charged at prices agreed upon by both parties.

Article 14 When sending negotiated laundry, after on-site inspection, negotiation, and signature confirmation by both consumer and operator, the contract shall take effect.

Article 15 If the laundry does not meet the laundry industry quality standards after washing and processing, the operator shall rewash and process it once. If it still does not meet the standards after rework, the washing fee shall be refunded, except for stains noted before washing as unable to be removed or only partially removable, and clothes that cannot be restored by ironing.

Article 16 If buttons or accessories are missing after washing negotiated laundry, or obvious repair marks remain but do not affect wearability, the operator shall compensate 30% of the negotiated laundry amount.

Article 17 If the operator is responsible for loss or serious damage to negotiated laundry that cannot be repaired, the operator shall fully compensate the negotiated laundry amount.

Article 18 If the operator and consumer fail to reach an agreement on negotiated washing, the operator may refuse to accept the washing business under the negotiated form but must explain this to the consumer.

Chapter 5 Exemption from Liability

Article 19 The operator shall not be liable for compensation if the consumer's laundry has any of the following situations:

(1) Unpredictable or potentially changing situations: such as moth damage, shedding, damage, exposure of the base fabric, holes, and expansion of damaged areas after washing; thread loss or damage caused by narrow seams after washing; odor seepage from lining after normal washing of down jackets or cotton-padded clothes, contamination of fabric by filling materials; phenomena such as the reverse side of the fabric or contamination of the fabric front by lining filling materials after washing fur garments; contamination of fabric by lining at the edges of garment lining pockets, waistbands, etc.; dark spots appearing on sofa seat covers after washing and ironing; exposure of pre-existing chemical corrosion or chemical repairs after normal washing.

(2) Stubborn stains or fabric corrosion covered by heavily soiled areas, which become exposed or damaged after normal washing.

(3) Color fastness and shrinkage of fabrics such as pure cotton and silk not meeting standards, resulting in varying degrees of fading or shrinkage after normal washing processes.

(4) Fading of metal buttons and metal decorative parts' surface coatings after normal washing.

(5) Curtains that have been hung for a long time and exposed to sunlight causing natural fabric brittleness, resulting in damage after normal washing.

Chapter 6 Clothing Storage

Article 20 If the consumer exceeds the clothing pickup period agreed in the service contract by 15 days, the operator is not obligated to provide free storage. For overdue clothing pickup, a storage fee of 1 yuan per item per day will be charged, except for clothing with washing quality disputes. If the operator fails to deliver the clothing within the agreed service contract period, a penalty of 2 yuan per item per day will be paid to the consumer, except for clothing with quality disputes under negotiation.

Article 21 The maximum storage liability period for clothing is 90 days. After the liability period, the operator should proactively contact and remind the consumer to pick up the clothing. If the clothing is not picked up within 10 days after notification or the consumer cannot be contacted, the operator has the right to treat the clothing as unclaimed.

Chapter 7 Loss of Vouchers

Article 22 When the consumer's clothing pickup voucher is lost or damaged and cannot be identified, the consumer must promptly handle the loss procedure with the operator, presenting valid identification and the contact phone number provided at the time of laundry to retrieve the clothing. The original clothing washing voucher becomes invalid automatically after the loss procedure is handled. If the clothing has been collected by others before the loss procedure is completed, the operator is not liable for compensation.

Chapter 8 Appraisal and Mediation

Article 23 If there is a dispute between the consumer and the operator regarding the quality of clothing washing, they may entrust the Guangdong Laundry Industry Association Clothing Washing Quality Appraisal Center or other authoritative appraisal institutions agreed upon by both parties to appraise the washing quality of the clothing. The appraisal fee shall be advanced by the party requesting it and borne by the responsible party.

Article 24 If a dispute arises between the consumer and the operator regarding clothing washing, complaints can be made to the local consumer committee, laundry and washing industry association, and relevant departments. For those who reach a settlement agreement, both the consumer and the operator should sign a settlement agreement; if no agreement is reached, either party may file a lawsuit with the people's court having jurisdiction.

Article 25 If a party needs to entrust an agent for mediation due to special circumstances, the agent shall provide a power of attorney, copies of the ID cards of the principal and the agent, and present the original ID card of the agent for verification.

Chapter 9 Supplementary Provisions

Article 26 If any provisions of these measures conflict with national laws, regulations, or rules, the national laws, regulations, or rules shall prevail.

Article 27 These measures are interpreted and revised by the Guangdong Laundry Industry Association.

Article 28 These measures shall come into effect from the date of promulgation, and the "Guangdong Province Laundry Industry Consumer Dispute Resolution Measures" issued on March 21, 2007,

shall be repealed simultaneously.

Guangdong Laundry Industry Association

July 29, 2013