Who the final say the "balance" of prepaid card?, Recharge must start at 200, and even though the membership card contains money, it is not allowed to use the store | card | membership card
With its cool decorations and comfortable venues, the national chain basketball court "Rock Park" has won the love of basketball enthusiasts. Mr. Zhou's family is a frequent visitor to Locke Park. To facilitate the exercise of children at home, Mr. Zhou has applied for a membership card.
However, not long ago, when Mr. Zhou's child went to Rock Park alone to play basketball as usual, he was turned off. At that time, there was still a balance of 26 yuan in the membership card, which was enough to be used for one hour, but the venue claimed that the balance in the card must be above 35 yuan to be used. Finally, the child had to borrow a friend's card and enter the venue at a visitor price higher than the membership price. "Mr. Zhou called 12345 and sought help from the Shanghai Citizen Service Hotline, saying that the child had some change around and wanted to use it temporarily for a few tens of yuan, but was informed that the minimum charge was 200 yuan.".
As his home is nearby, Mr. Zhou can continue to recharge and consume, but the establishment of this membership rule is not friendly to occasional customers who come here to play. Why are prepaid cards subject to mandatory consumption thresholds? What should be done if the balance in the prepaid card is insufficient? The reporter launched an investigation into this.
△ Locke Park Shanghai West Station.
Unified regulations of the company?
According to public information, "Locke Park" belongs to Shanghai Luohe Sports Development Co., Ltd., established in 2014, and is a national chain of private sports venues. This brand operates in the form of franchise, headquartered in Shanghai, with nearly 100 venues under its umbrella, including more than 40 in the Shanghai area. Mr. Zhou often visits the Shanghai West Station.
On weekday afternoons, there are still many people playing basketball in the Shanghai West Railway Station, including adults playing games and children practicing alone, making it very lively. The reporter asked the front desk staff about the relevant fees, citing the company's plan to organize a basketball game. The staff pointed to the price list on the front desk and introduced the venue's fee details to the reporter.
Price List of Shanghai West Station in Locke Park.
The price list for basketball events in the museum is clearly stated. If it is a non member, the fee is 20 yuan/hour, but a prepayment of 50 yuan is required. The fee is based on the number of matches, with one game per 2 hours and additional charges for more than 2 hours. There is no upper limit, and a loan of 10 yuan is required; And there is a slight discount on the membership fee, which is 18 yuan per hour. There is also a note next to it: "35 yuan for free play, starting at 200 yuan, and borrowing the ball is free." Regarding "35 yuan for free play," the staff explained that the maximum consumption limit for members is 35 yuan, which means they will charge 18 yuan for one hour of playing, and only 35 yuan for two hours or more, regardless of how long they play. It is precisely because of this that the company stipulates that members cannot have a balance of less than 35 yuan on their card each time they make a purchase. This explains Mr. Zhou's claim that the balance on their card is 26 yuan, but the store emphasizes that they must have a balance of more than 35 yuan before they can play. As for the minimum recharge of 200 yuan, the staff stated that it is a unified regulation of the company.
"What if I only want to use the balance in my card and don't want to continue recharging?" Faced with the reporter's question, the staff said that cancellation can be processed, but "if I want to cancel, the entire process will be very long.". Specifically, members need to go to the store where their membership card is processed to apply for cancellation. After the store is reviewed, it will be reported to the company for further processing, which may take more than six months.
The reporter then checked the situation of various venues in "Locke Park" in Shanghai on Dianping website. According to the store price list uploaded in consumer reviews, it can be seen that the charging standards for the Locke Park basketball venue are slightly different. For basketball events, the Wenshui Pavilion in Locke Park costs 18 yuan/hour, 50 yuan for free play, and a minimum recharge of 200 yuan; The Yangsi New Dongxing Urban Sports Center in Shanghai costs 23 yuan/hour, 65 yuan for free play, and a minimum recharge of 200 yuan. The reporter called two stores separately, and the staff both stated that their stores cannot enter the venue when their card balance is less than 30 yuan, and can only be used after continuing to recharge at least 200 yuan, which is a unified requirement of the company. However, regarding the handling of the balance on the card, the Wenshui Pavilion in Rock Park has provided a different explanation: if there is a balance on the card, it can be used up to buy water, things, etc., or refunded. The refund time is relatively long, and if the refund is successful, Rock's membership card cannot be processed again for 3 months. If the membership card is processed again after 3 months, it cannot be processed for a lifetime thereafter.
Such charges raise doubts
Mr. Zhou does not agree with such an explanation. "We are allowed to enter the store for only one hour, but we are restricted from using it. This is unreasonable, and consumers should have the right to choose." Mr. Zhou believes that if we recharge and deduct fees according to this set of rules, the balance on the card will never be reset to zero. Moreover, the refund process of Locke Company is so complicated, which may lead to forced consumption and partial deduction of user membership fees.
Mr. Zhou's concerns are not unnecessary. The reporter saw on the Black Cat Complaint Platform that there were indeed consumers who complained about "Locke Park" for reasons such as delayed refund registration, inability to find a refund channel, and no answering customer service phone. Currently, the merchant has not responded to this.
Liu Huihui, a partner at Beijing Jincheng Tongda Law Firm, believes that according to store regulations, consumers with a balance of less than 35 yuan on their card cannot use the card. If a consumer still has 20 yuan on their card, they can still play for at least one hour at a rate of 18 yuan per hour. However, this regulation unilaterally restricts the consumer's rights and does not allow them to use it, which is an obvious overbearing clause. In addition, requiring a minimum of 200 yuan for each card recharge is also a restriction on consumers' freedom of choice. Article 9, Paragraph 2 of the Consumer Rights Protection Law stipulates that consumers have the right to independently choose the operators who provide goods or services, independently choose the types of goods or services, and independently decide whether to purchase or not to purchase any kind of goods, accept or not to accept any service.
In fact, disputes over insufficient balance of prepaid cards are not uncommon, and many stores have set certain thresholds to encourage members to continue recharging. In March of this year, the Consumer Protection Commission of Pudong New Area announced a case of forced consumption at a hair salon. Ms. Liang, a citizen, applied for a membership card at a certain hair salon and was eligible for a 68% discount. However, after another visit to the salon for a perm and haircut, the merchant claimed that the remaining balance of 688 yuan on the card was not enough to pay for the purchase, and there was still 38 yuan left. They requested Ms. Liang to top up 1000 yuan, otherwise they could only charge the original price of 1068 yuan. In this regard, the Pudong New Area Consumer Protection Commission believes that the operator's behavior is clearly at fault, and has imposed unreasonable and unfair restrictions on consumer behavior through standard terms, which clearly infringes on the consumer's right to choose and fair trade. Finally, with the intervention of the Consumer Protection Commission, both parties reached a consensus.
At present, Mr. Zhou, a citizen, is still waiting for a response from relevant departments. Our reporter will continue to monitor this. In addition, it is also recommended that consumers must have a detailed understanding of the corresponding articles of association and contract terms when applying for various stored value membership cards. Relevant administrative law enforcement departments should also strengthen the supervision of standard contracts and prepaid cards to prevent the occurrence of consumer rights violations.
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