I just got back from a month long trip to China and reading this thread in the context of the past few weeks of experience has highlighted one very important cultural point about China: "cheating" is a way of life. I'm not slamming the Chinese people (I happen to be a red blooded Chinese-American BTW) I'm just stating what has been told to me by Chinese people and what I've seen for myself.
To promise something/anything at the onset of a deal, to be exceptioanlly courteous and accomodating are cultural norms there but it may not last after money has been exchanged. To be fair I'm referring to rather simple business that I've conducted which is not anywhere near the scale that is commented on here......but I see the paralells.
It was explained to me by a Chinese person that getting ripped off is normal there. And to complain about it is rather futile as laws here genrally do not support consumers (or anyone else from what I've seen) and the offending party simply exercises actively ignoring you. It may be something as petty as the claimed origins (hand made from such-and-such region) of a dress or it may be a bit more personal and deal with the livability of an apartment rental.
I watched a TV program where a man showed, rather convincingly, that he was ripped off by a computer store. He went in and bought - at least what he thought - was a Dell laptop. When he got the computer home he discovered that it was a counterfeit Dell. The sales invoice stated quite clearly that he ordered a Dell so he wasn't pulling a fast one himself. When he took the computer back to the store they refused to give him a refund or exchange. He then went to the police to see what they would do but the cops said there was nothing they could (would) do. The guy is SOL. It was explained to me that Chinese department stores like that one are notorious for doing things like this and that the police do nothing. "That is China," I was told.
If you want to do business in China keep you eyes wide open.
Cheers.
To promise something/anything at the onset of a deal, to be exceptioanlly courteous and accomodating are cultural norms there but it may not last after money has been exchanged. To be fair I'm referring to rather simple business that I've conducted which is not anywhere near the scale that is commented on here......but I see the paralells.
It was explained to me by a Chinese person that getting ripped off is normal there. And to complain about it is rather futile as laws here genrally do not support consumers (or anyone else from what I've seen) and the offending party simply exercises actively ignoring you. It may be something as petty as the claimed origins (hand made from such-and-such region) of a dress or it may be a bit more personal and deal with the livability of an apartment rental.
I watched a TV program where a man showed, rather convincingly, that he was ripped off by a computer store. He went in and bought - at least what he thought - was a Dell laptop. When he got the computer home he discovered that it was a counterfeit Dell. The sales invoice stated quite clearly that he ordered a Dell so he wasn't pulling a fast one himself. When he took the computer back to the store they refused to give him a refund or exchange. He then went to the police to see what they would do but the cops said there was nothing they could (would) do. The guy is SOL. It was explained to me that Chinese department stores like that one are notorious for doing things like this and that the police do nothing. "That is China," I was told.
If you want to do business in China keep you eyes wide open.
Cheers.