A TOTAL of 972 consumer complaints were received by the city’s and districts’ consumer councils during the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday from Feb. 4 to Sunday, an increase of 46 percent year on year, according to a report published by Shenzhen Consumer Council.

The Internet and telecommunications sector received the most complaints from consumers, while the number of complaints on tourism consumption doubled, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily said yesterday, citing the council’s report.

According to the report, there were 49 complaints on tourism services during the Spring Festival holiday, up 206 percent compared with just 16 complaints in the same period last year.

Among them, 41 complaints were related to illegal travel agencies forcing tourists to shop and refusing to refund scenic spot tickets.

The consumer councils received 25 complaints about forced shopping on Hong Kong and Macao tours. It was universally reported by consumers that the tour groups did not visit scenic spots in accordance with the contract and they were taken to places such as jewelry stores for shopping instead.

The travel agencies also did not provide accommodation and meal services in accordance with the contract, according to the complaints.

The tours were found to have been organized by illegal travel agencies, said the city’s consumer council after an investigation.

The report showed that consumer complaints mainly centered on Internet and telecommunications services, with a total of 353 cases and accounting for 36 percent of the total number of complaints.

The complaints were mainly related to disputes on online gaming packages, stolen accounts, lost virtual goods, WeChat red envelopes, and broadband network breakdowns.

The consumer councils received 50 complaints on festive food, catering and accommodation, an increase of 72 percent over last year’s 29 cases.

The problems reported by consumers included bakeries not informing consumers in advance of their closures during the holiday, hotel room facilities not matching their descriptions, and restaurants collecting surcharges without informing consumers in advance.

(Zhang Yu)