[Sportschosun, Jang Jong-ho] Consumers in China are outraged after learning that an air conditioner purchased for about 500,000 won was actually manufactured eight years ago.
The controversy has intensified after the retailer reportedly demanded that the customer pay about 100,000 won in removal and installation fees to receive an exchange or refund.
According to Chinese media outlets including China.com, Mr. Zhang, who lives in Feixi County, Hefei City, Anhui Province, recently purchased a wall-mounted air conditioner from an appliance specialty store for 2,600 yuan (about 500,000 won). At the time of sale, the store reportedly advertised it as the last unit available at a special price, saying the product normally sold for more than 4,000 yuan (about 800,000 won).
After the air conditioner was delivered to his home and installed, Mr. Zhang learned something unexpected when his son inspected it.
The manufacturing date marked on the outdoor unit was confirmed to be November 2018. That meant about eight years had passed since the product was made.
The condition of the product also made it difficult to regard it as new. Black traces of contamination were spotted in the gaps of the air conditioner's air outlet. However, it has not been officially confirmed whether the marks were evidence of actual use.
Mr. Zhang's side believed the product was excessively old and requested a refund or exchange from the retailer.
The retailer reportedly explained that the unit was discontinued inventory or clearance stock, claiming that 2,600 yuan was a special clearance price. The store also claimed that it had informed the customer at the time of sale that the product was from existing inventory.
Mr. Zhang's side, however, countered that the seller had not told him that the product was manufactured eight years earlier.
The issue also arose during the refund and exchange process. The retailer reportedly demanded that the customer pay 500 yuan (about 100,000 won) to have the product removed and exchanged.
After these details became known, criticism poured in online in China.
Netizens commented, "Even if it is called a new product, consumers would find it difficult to accept it readily if it had been sitting in a warehouse for eight years," and, "It would have been a different matter if the seller had disclosed in advance that it was old inventory and lowered the price."
Some netizens, however, expressed understanding for the retailer's position, saying, "Long-term inventory of large home appliances is common," and, "If the product has not been used, there may be no functional problems."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
