11-year-old girl buys S$91 worth of trading cards from toy platform using grandparent’s phone
Qiandao, a toy e-commerce app in China, recently drew flak for its response after a seller on the platform allegedly asked a mother for a video of her child being slapped as proof for a refund.
According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), Qiandao is the country’s leading platform where buyers and sellers trade collectable toys, cars, and action figures.
Image courtesy of Reddit for illustration purposes only.
Recently, an 11-year-old girl bought RMB500 (S$91) worth of trading cards on the app using her grandparent’s phone.
When her mother, Li Yun, found out about it two hours later, she immediately applied for a return and refund.
Toy seller asks for video of mum slapping her child for refund
To Ms Li’s surprise, the seller accused her of pretending to be a minor to cancel the order she “maliciously” placed.
The seller then sent her a “Minor Refund Notice” which demands she upload a video of her slapping her child for five minutes straight, with clear slapping sounds.
Source: Phoenix Technology
They also wanted a video of the parent angrily scolding the child for at least three minutes.
The notice also asked the child to write a 1,000-character apology letter by hand, then sign, fingerprint, and read it aloud together with the parent.
Finding these demands unreasonable, the mother turned to the platform’s customer service for help.
However, customer service staff said the platform cannot help and only advised that both parties negotiate.
Seller’s demands violate China’s Minor Protection Law
On 20 Oct, Qiandao issued a statement, saying the dispute arose from a personal sale and that the “Minor Refund Notice” was from the seller, not the platform.
However, it also said it will “guide users who post inappropriate content towards proper conduct, encouraging civil communication and helping foster a friendly trading environment”.
Source: Sina Finance
This led to criticism that it was trying to evade responsibility. Fu Jian, a law firm director, said the seller’s demands violate China’s Minor Protection Law, which prohibits domestic violence.
“This kind of request is essentially inciting and coercing parents to commit domestic violence against minors,” he said.
According to HK01, Shanghai Biyou Huixiang Intelligent Technology Co, Ltd, which operates Qiandao, was previously fined RMB10,000 (S$1,824) in 2022 for violating the Minor Protection Law.
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Featured image adapted from Reddit, doidam10 on Canva, both for illustration purposes only.
