Book Smart, Not Street Smart: Beijing PhD Student Tricked by Computer Sales Clerk

Book Smart, Not Street Smart: Beijing PhD Student Tricked by Computer Sales Clerk
Jan 27, 2015 By eChinacities.com

Editor’s note: This article, translated from Tencent News, is an account of a PhD student named Li who was misled into overpaying for a computer in Zhongguancun. The focus of the article appears not to be the fact that he was cheated – as this is very commonplace – but the fact that someone with such a high level of education could be tricked by a common sales clerk. Li’s initial naivety and his disbelief that this could happen to someone like him remind us once again that you just can’t teach common sense.

“I did not expect something like this to happen in a famous place like Zhongguancun, but it actually happened!” ­­Nowadays, even the brightest PhD students can be swindled at the Chinese sales counters. On Tuesday, Li (pseudonym) spent 6,400 Yuan on a laptop at a business located in an electronics mall in Beijing’s Zhongguancun. He went home and checked online after buying it and found to his dismay that the notebook was really priced at 3,199 Yuan. The next day, he and six of his doctorate student friends returned to the electronics business after studying up on theories of business and commerce. They demanded that the store accept his return and give him a refund. The store finally agreed, but would only return 4,900 Yuan.

PhD student cheated in Zhongguancun

Li is finishing up his PhD studies at university and is preparing his thesis, so he decided to buy a new computer. “I was doing calculations and I planned to purchase a computer with better CPU performance in order to have a computer with a faster processing speed,” he said. After checking CPU’s and deciding on a model, Li decided to go to Zhongguancun Electronic City on Tuesday afternoon to find a computer to buy.

“One sales clerk at a Zhongguancun computer store checked online and said that the price of a certain laptop was 6,500 Yuan but told me they would give me the computer for only 6,000 Yuan.” Li thought that the price seemed fair. “But I was a little worried. The computer only had 32-bit CPU and I wanted one with a 64-bit. The clerk said that the computer only came with a 32-bit and cannot be made with a 64-bit CPU.” Li said that he continued to chat with the friendly clerk, a move that he now regrets. The clerk eventually recommended another brand to him with the CPU that he had requested for 6,400 Yuan. Li did not recognize the brand of the CPU but he thought that the clerk seemed to know what he was talking about and “carelessly did not check the price before purchasing the computer.”

Li returned home and opened up the computer. Upon closer inspection, he began to realize that he had been cheated. “The new computer had the same configurations as my old computer,” said Li. He then checked the price online and found that the computer sold in stores in Zhongguancun for only 3,199 Yuan. He immediately called the police to report the computer store.

Seven PhDs vs. one computer salesclerk

Early the next morning, Li and six of his fellow doctorate student friends got together and began to read up on business and economic theory. He did not expect however, that the store’s attitude would be so tough on his return. The salesclerk and store denied that there was any problem with the computer’s configuration. Li said that the owner of the store even said to him, “I earned over 2,000 Yuan on this sale. What’s the problem?”

Li believed the computer’s configuration was too low-quality for the price and requested a return. The seven PhD students gathered in the store and after talking to the clerk and store owner, Li was finally able to return the computer. However, the owner would only refund him 4,900 Yuan. Li told the Beijing Youth Daily that the store kept over 1,000 Yuan because they claimed the computer had depreciated in value after being sold and that the store had incurred other expenses with its sale. Li’s fellow student Tong (pseudonym) said that they all felt helpless. “Seven PhDs couldn’t settle the ordeal with this merchant…”

The term “How to not get cheated at Zhongguancun,” brings in 1.64 million search results online. That kind of “marketing behavior” has seemingly grown quite popular over the years in Zhongguancun. Li said that he had been in Beijing for six months and had never heard of anyone getting scammed this way. He thought that people who were cheated by salespeople fall for scams because of lack of intelligence. However, Li also admitted that he was negligent and did not read the warranty on the computer before bringing it home.

“But isn’t Zhongguancun supposed to be China’s Silicon Valley? How can this happen in Zhongguancun?” This is what Li does not understand.

Store says this is normal market behavior

Reporters tracked down the store were Li purchased his computer. The computer is priced between 3,000 and 4,000 Yuan at the brand’s official flagship store. Why did the store sell it for 6,400 Yuan? Why did they only return 4,900 Yuan of Li’s money? “The consumer agreed on it,” said a representative from the store. The store refused to comment further on the incident.

Staff from Zhongguancun’s Electronics City Market management department said that there are no fixed uniform prices in the electronics market. “It is just like any market, no matter how high the price is, you can always try to bargain it down.” The staff said that they do not interfere with normal market behavior. “We just rent space to tenants. They have the right to operate their business the way they choose. We only punish or evict tenants that sell counterfeit goods. If prices are too high and consumers complain then mall merchants will refund the difference.” How is this difference calculated? The Electronics City complaint center said that because there are no standard prices the issue can only be resolved independently through communications between consumers and businesses.

Staff from Electronics City added that operators have the right to independent pricing and consumers can choose whether to purchase a product or not. There is also no one approach to solve issues with product quality or specific directions for returning products because of quality issues. This can also only be resolved independently between individual consumers and businesses.

Source: Tencent

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Keywords: Beijing Zhongguancun Scams PhD Student Cheated in Zhongguancun

16 Comments

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Guest2781358

How gullible

Feb 24, 2015 03:55 Report Abuse

coineineagh

Someone got scammed, and this long story has nothing newsworthy in it. The newsworthy aspect is that China salivates over such episodes of opportunism and victimization. Zhong-Cancun will be more popular than ever because of the publicity.

Feb 01, 2015 15:52 Report Abuse

Nessquick

first time out of schoolbooks :)

Jan 29, 2015 08:47 Report Abuse

Irfan100

Lol

Jan 27, 2015 20:33 Report Abuse

RachelDiD

So, instead of using newegg.cn where he can pretty much compare every available model, he decides to use a store. And, instead of going to an actual, licensed resale store, he goes to Zhongguancun? They don't teach common sense in schools, especially not in China. I suppose this is because it is not scored on the gaokao.

Jan 27, 2015 20:00 Report Abuse

bernhardtra

Not even a store, a market, and markets are fairly common in regards to Chinese culture. I have been to plenty of them and I know how it works! There are times I go to simply bargain, not to buy, kind of like a sport!

Feb 02, 2015 17:58 Report Abuse

Guest2368048

1. “But isn’t Zhongguancun supposed to be China’s Silicon Valley? ... This is what Li does not understand." Time for this ivory tower guy to become aware of a fact his textbooks didn't cover ---- China is a moral shithole relative to the country where the authentic Silicon Valley is. Fake gold is forever fake gold. 2. Zhongguancun is China's Silicon Valley, that gives you a good idea what kind of salespeople and business owners in other @$@##cun all over China is about --- garbage of garbage.

Jan 27, 2015 09:13 Report Abuse

Nessquick

hard, but true

Jan 29, 2015 08:46 Report Abuse

bernhardtra

I don't believe they actually sell individual computers in Silicon Valley, except at Best Buy. How can he equate a market to a place where inventions happen. That is not quite logical. I don't have a PhD, but I can even understand the simplistic difference of the two! Maybe I can trade my MBA in for a few PhD's here then!?!

Feb 02, 2015 17:55 Report Abuse

Guest2368048

'How can he equate a market to a place where inventions happen.' Spot on. Thieves' delusional mentality, steal, steal, steal.

Feb 11, 2015 22:28 Report Abuse

sorrel

because there were only 7 of them.

Jan 27, 2015 02:00 Report Abuse

stan118

haha oh man, you would think 7 of them would be intimidating enough,

Feb 06, 2015 06:32 Report Abuse

Robk

LoL... that explains why when I hired two newly Post-secondary graduates in China. They had the same knowledge (and social skills) as a 14 year old high-school kid back home. Chinese degrees ain't worth a damn.

Jan 27, 2015 01:41 Report Abuse

Chairman_Cow

Wow! What a scoop. Somebody gets ripped off in China! Pulitzer Prize winning stuff.

Jan 27, 2015 01:23 Report Abuse

yongge

Nobody forced him to buy and he wasn't tricked, he was just stupid.

Jan 27, 2015 00:34 Report Abuse

carlstar

lucky there is that law that says you can return things.

Jan 27, 2015 11:32 Report Abuse