Shared power bank charges 1 hour for 1 minute? Media: Reasonable Charging for Better Sharing Mode | Charging | Reasonable Charging
The charging method of shared power bank is pushed by electronic contract. In this mode, the merchants the final say how to charge, and consumers have no bargaining power. The accelerated recovery of the industry at present is a good opportunity to win consumer recognition. To stand out in the adhesive market, it may depend on who can break the so-called "industry conventions" first.
With the recovery of offline consumption, the business of shared power banks has also improved. Recently, the author conducted a small experiment and scanned 20 shared power banks in several cities. Out of 20 machines, 18 are charged on an hourly basis; The other two units are charged in half an hour. Except for some machines that indicate a 3-6 minute grace period, consumers will be charged for 1 hour or half an hour even if they only use 1 minute.
The concept of shared power banks was born around 2015 when the concept of the sharing economy was booming. The original intention of "sharing" is to maximize the utilization rate of items, in order to achieve convenience, cost savings, and environmental protection. For example, shared bicycles are generally charged per 15 minutes. However, according to the charging method of shared power banks, consumers only need 15 minutes or half an hour of charging, but thinking that they have already paid for 1 hour, they are not in a hurry to return it. Such charging does not help improve utilization and goes against the original intention of "sharing".
During the investigation, it was found that the charging method for shared power banks was established by several pioneers. At that time, the hourly fee was only 0.5 yuan, and consumers did not raise any objections. Later generations continued the "industry practice". Of course, it is also because this billing method is beneficial to businesses, consumers do not strongly oppose it, regulatory authorities do not name and criticize it, and companies naturally enjoy its success.
The charging method for shared power banks is pushed through electronic contracts, commonly known as format contracts. In this mode, the merchants the final say how to charge, and consumers have no bargaining power. Many companies believe that shared power banks are a fully competitive market, with prices determined by the market. If consumers find them expensive, they can choose not to use them. Some consumers also think the same way: "If you find it too expensive, why not bring your own power bank?"
Industry practices may not be reasonable. The Consumer Rights Protection Law stipulates that consumers have the right to fair trade conditions such as quality assurance, reasonable prices, and accurate measurements. Does the regulation of "charging per hour for 1 minute of use" of shared power banks infringe on consumers' right to fair trading? Is it suspected of overbearing clauses? These issues are worth exploring.
In 2021, the State Administration for Market Regulation required shared power bank enterprises to follow the principles of fairness, impartiality, legality, and good faith, and establish a good market price order; Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation has issued the "Administrative Supervision and Administration Measures for Contracts", which prohibit the use of unfair format clauses to infringe on consumer rights. There are numerous users of shared power banks, with over 330 million registered users from top enterprises. We respect the independent pricing rights of enterprises and call on regulatory authorities to urge them to develop more reasonable pricing methods to effectively safeguard consumers' fair trading rights.
Changing the charging method may seem like making less money, but when calculated, it may not necessarily be a bad thing for the company. During the visit, the author found that the shared power bank is still fiercely competing for market share, with several machines from different brands placed in many locations, and the lending rate is not high in the vast majority of times. Due to the similar charging methods and user experience, consumers are mostly randomly selected, and the industry is in a homogeneous and inefficient competition state, with no obvious brand advantage. The accelerated recovery of the industry at present is a good opportunity to win consumer recognition. To stand out in the adhesive market, it may depend on who can break the so-called "industry conventions" first. Consumers may not be willing to rent a charging "Ba" that charges for 1 hour of use for 1 minute, but they definitely welcome a power bank that charges reasonably based on the actual usage time.
