Ask the price before home repair, vehicle inspection or renovation work begins, and watch the work from beside the worker

Cost

Free. Before work starts, ask about the charges and which parts will be replaced, and photograph the quote or have it sent in writing. After the repair, get the repair record and the invoice, and keep the old parts. You also have to stand by for an hour or two. The hard part is staying and watching the whole time.

What you get

Home appliance repair businesses must state the charges, quality standards, warranty period and complaint phone number for their services and parts. They must give the consumer a repair service record and a fee invoice, and fill in the repair items and details truthfully. They may not list repair items that do not exist, exaggerate or forge them, may not report faulty parts that are not faulty, and may not deliberately replace parts that work normally. In serious cases the fine is up to 30,000 (3万) CNY. All businesses must display clear prices, may not add charges beyond the marked price, and may not collect any fee that is not marked. Luring customers with a low price and billing a high one, and fake price markdowns, are price fraud. A business must indicate the service items, content, price and pricing method in a prominent way, and may not make false or misleading claims (China)

Notes

If you were overcharged, call 12315 first. Penalties are imposed by the commerce and market-regulation departments, and you don't have to sue on your own. This is graded B because the rules are official, but there is no figure for how much you save by watching, and it relies mainly on experience. Asking the price, keeping the record and keeping the old parts should be done the same way for everyone, without judging by appearance. The home appliance measure covers only appliance repair; for vehicle inspection and renovation, refer to the clear-pricing rules and their implementing regulations. The higher-level Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law (消费者权益保护法) also states these two rights. Article 8 says you have the right to require the business to explain the content, specifications and fees of a service. Article 10 says you have the right to refuse forced transactions.

Evidence grade

B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.

Sources

1. Ministry of Commerce (2012). Measures for the Administration of Household Appliance Repair Services [in Chinese] (Ministry of Commerce Order No. 7 of 2012, Articles 5, 7, 9 and 14). http://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2012/content_2231695.htm
2. State Administration for Market Regulation (2022). Provisions on Clearly Marked Prices and Prohibiting Price Fraud [in Chinese] (SAMR Order No. 56, Articles 5, 8 and 19). http://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2022/content_5699926.htm
3. State Council (2024). Regulations for the Implementation of the Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law [in Chinese] (State Council Order No. 778, Articles 9 and 10). https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202403/content_6940159.htm
4. National People's Congress Standing Committee (2013 amendment). Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law [in Chinese] (Articles 8 and 10): "Consumers have the right, depending on the circumstances of the goods or services, to require business operators to provide ... information on the content, specifications, fees and so on of the services" and "have the right to refuse forced transactions by business operators". https://flk.npc.gov.cn/detail?id=2c909fdd678bf17901678bf7670606ef (National Laws and Regulations Database)

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 8, tip 27. This section describes legal rules, mostly mainland China’s. It is general information, not legal advice; for your own case, talk to a lawyer. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer