Thomas, an American living in Beijing, was rescued by the Beijing Municipal Administration of Industry and Commerce in Tuanjiehu, Chaoyang after being duped by a real estate agency. The bureau helped Thomas get his money back that he lost to an agency.
Thomas rented an apartment from an intermediary company in July and paid an agency fee of 3,600 Yuan and a deposit of 3,600 Yuan. However, the apartment in question never existed, and the agency refused to pay back the fee and deposit.
Feeling helpless, Thomas turned to the Administration of Industry and Commerce. Government staff helped mediate the case. The agency first agreed to return the deposit, and after more pressure agreed to return the fee as well.
“I did not think that I would be protected as an American in China. I love China, and I want to tell everyone around me what happened,” said Thomas. He sent the Administration of Industry and Commerce a letter of thanks, and said that his “Chinese guardian angels,” had come through for him.
Source: inews.qq.com
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Keywords: Beijing agency fee Beijing apartment deposit Beijing local government
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This is a step in the right direction for the Chinese government. If they continue to take these sort of actions to protect foreigners, more foreigners will be interested in investing in China.
Sep 18, 2015 14:29 Report Abuse
Good start, now carry on helping the other thousands of people who got screwed over. Sounds like a publicity stunt to keep the idiot masses under control.
Sep 18, 2015 11:57 Report Abuse
Where is bozo with 'expatlife26' handle? When will we get his enlightening comment here?
Sep 17, 2015 19:34 Report Abuse
In many countries, this type of thing wouldn't happen in the first place. So there wouldn't be a need to tell everyone about government angels swooping in to save you from your naivety. Seriously, who rents an apartment without first having a look? Whatever, he got his money back with is indeed rare in China. Miracles do happen.
Sep 17, 2015 17:22 Report Abuse
People moving to a foreign country frequently do that. You don't want to move with all your stuff and then stay in a hotel while you try to find an apartment. That's exactly why you go through an agency.
Sep 17, 2015 21:22 Report Abuse
A valid point, but one could just as easily check into a hotel first, then spend some time looking for a legit deal. This is considering the reputation China has for fakes.
Sep 18, 2015 15:43 Report Abuse
Depends on how much stuff you're bringing with you. I can understand why someone might be willing to pay money to avoid the inconvenience of having to do that. And it's not like checking the apartment out makes you impervious to being scammed. That's kinda the whole point of going through an agency. And since we don't know the circumstances by which this guy ended up picking this agency, it's a little hard for me to call him naive.
Sep 18, 2015 22:59 Report Abuse
I'm going to rent a furnished apartment, sight unseen(aside from online pics), when I move back to the US. There are reasons people rent w/o looking first, but I generally agree with your sentiment.
Sep 19, 2015 08:26 Report Abuse