CRI听力:China Consumers Association warns of false price fixes on e-commerce platforms

As Taobao attempts to market another "double day" event, this time its "Double 12" sale, China Consumers Association has decided to issue an alert to customers about several international and domestic brands which have been flagged for price fixing on their online stores during the "Double 11" shopping spree.

Coach, an American luxury fashion brand, is being singled out for raising the prices of its women's handbags on Tmall.com ahead of the "double 11" online shopping spree.

Bai Que Ling, a domestic skincare brand, actually doubled its original prices, then advertised a buy "one get one free" promotion.

Pi Xiaolin with the China Consumers Association says these kind of tactics are being widely discovered on Taobao.com.

"A lot of the stores simply raise their prices before the discount window, so the original price is somewhat fake. In some cases, prices after the discount were even higher than people would normally pay. We've also noticed a number of webpages advertizing using false low-prices. However, when payments are settled, the cost is a lot more. We've also been taking note of some sites using cash-back offers for people who give them positive reviews or feedback, which obviously distorts the rating systems."

The China Consumers Association estimates as much as 17-percent of the items sold on major E-commerce platforms during the "Double 11" shopping spree had their prices inflated ahead of time.

The Associaiton says steps are being worked on to try to change this.

In the meantime, the association is suggesting online shoppers be rational, and is recommending shoppers do their due-diligence before making purchases to find out for themselves if they're being gouged.

This warning comes as Taobao attempts to promote this Monday as the "Double 12" shopping festival. The company began peddling the concept 4-years ago.

However, with "Double 11" just a month ago, it remains questionable as to whether this continued promotion will be able to match the success of November 11th.

So in an attempt to promote "Double 12," Alibaba is teaming up with tens-of-thousand of off-line stores across China, promoting the use of its mobile payment service Alipay.

Supermarkets, convenience stores, restaurants, cinemas and gas stations across China are offering discounts of up to 50 percent to consumers who make purchases this Monday through the mobile payment sevice.

"I use mobile payment platforms when I have no cash. I don't need to take a lot of change."

"I paid only 11 yuan for the juice that is tagged as 21. I knew there is the promotion activity. But I did not expect that so many outlets have joined in it."

For merchants, mobile payments are not only more convenient, but also help them track purchasing trends.

It's being said that even those accustomed to paying with phyisical cash are starting to come around, including senior citizens.