

E-commerce disputes continue to escalate on China's 'OnlyRefund' platform! A merchant from Binzhou, Shandong, sold two commercial freezers worth 4,070 RMB to a bakery chain owner in Shanghai, but the buyer requested a full refund claiming the freezers were destroyed in situ. The merchant from Binzhou traveled to Shanghai to contest the refund and witnessed the freezers operating normally in the buyer's kitchen, leading to a police report and a proposed civil lawsuit. Multiple visits and repairs did not resolve the issue as the platform granted full refunds despite the merchant's efforts to reclaim the goods. Binzhou merchant Qin, who runs a commercial kitchen equipment store, stated that the bakery owner bought two four-door commercial freezers and one worktop freezer on his online store for approximately 5,000 RMB on May 6. The buyer filed a second refund request for the same reason on July 16, and despite additional on-site repairs, the platform approved the 'OnlyRefund' requests on August 3 and 4. When Qin attempted to collect the freezers on August 6, the buyer claimed they were already destroyed on-site. Qin lodged a complaint with the platform but received no response other than confirmation of the completed refund process. To avoid financial loss, Qin traveled over 4 hours by train to the buyer's store in Shanghai. He witnessed the two supposedly destroyed freezers being used in the kitchen and reported the matter to the police. While the police confirmed the freezers were in use, they could not forcibly retrieve the goods as the buyer was not present. Legal experts advise that hiding goods after receiving a full refund is considered unjust enrichment; if proven guilty of knowingly obtaining goods through false claims, the buyer faces potential criminal charges of fraud. Qin plans to file a civil suit to recover his losses, highlighting the importance for both platforms and merchants to handle such disputes through legal means.