Recently, several car owners have reported issues with the 4S dealership, such as warranty evasion and inconsistent claims, such as "the 4S dealership not fulfilling their promises and complaining to the manufacturer that it is useless" and "they purchased warranty services, but the other party said that the parts must have naturally aged and broken in order to be repaired for free". Some car owners have reported that the specific terms of the service items purchased at the 4S dealership are unclear, and the dealership has the final interpretation right. A Wuling Bingguo car owner told reporters that he followed the sales advice and purchased a "lifetime warranty" service for 3399 yuan, but the sales did not clearly disclose the detailed warranty items and conditions. When the vehicle battery is accidentally damaged, the merchant refuses to claim compensation on the grounds of "non natural damage", and the owner is forced to pay for repairs at their own expense. The car owner stated, "I complained to the manufacturer, and they said it was a dealer's problem; but the market supervision department in the dealer's location accepted it but there was no further response." Another car owner also said that even free repairs within the warranty period hide the trap of "passing off inferior as good". Mr. Song, the car owner, left a message on the "People's Complaints" section of People's Daily Online, reporting that he had replaced the corroded window parts for free during the vehicle warranty period. However, he later discovered that without his knowledge, the 4S store had replaced the lower part of the window parts with aftermarket parts. In the face of the car owner's doubts, the shop owner's attitude was perfunctory, and they even replied, "If you replace it for free, don't pay attention to these details. Similarly, another BMW owner found scratches and usage marks inside the new parts provided by the shop after replacing the headlights, and the shop refused to replace them. By sorting through the letters and messages, it can be seen that there are many readers who have encountered similar "store bullying" behavior in 4S stores. Professor Shen Aiguo from the School of Media and International Culture at Zhejiang University stated that the repeated bullying behavior of 4S stores is the result of multiple factors such as loopholes in manufacturer supervision, regulatory shortcomings of relevant departments, and consumer rights protection difficulties. Some car companies focus on sales volume and after-sales revenue in their assessment of dealers, lacking strict constraints on service quality; loose control over dealer parts channels leads to the flow of aftermarket parts into the after-sales system. At the same time, the manufacturer's after-sales policies are vague, such as the overbearing clause of 'losing quality assurance if not maintained at 4S stores', which indirectly forces consumers to accept high priced services and condones 4S stores' fraudulent behavior. ”Shen Aiguo said. Some readers have reported that when they encounter unfair treatment or bullying behavior from 4S stores, the cost of protecting their rights is high, and they may not even know how to respond. Mr. Xu, the car owner, found that the brake disc was abnormally worn when the vehicle was only driven for 30000 kilometers. However, the 4S store refused to provide warranty on the grounds that it was a "vulnerable part". However, the car owner reviewed the brand's warranty manual and found that the brake disc is not a consumable part. What makes car owners even more angry is that the 4S dealership's attitude is arrogant, claiming that 'complaining to the manufacturer is useless'. In this regard, Shen Aiguo believes that there is a serious information asymmetry between car owners and 4S stores, and consumers lack professional knowledge of cars, making it difficult to judge the rationality of repair suggestions and provide evidence when defending their rights. Secondly, the cost of safeguarding rights is high, the process is cumbersome and time-consuming, and the third-party appraisal fees of thousands of yuan often far exceed the losses of car owners. Consumers often choose to give up. In addition, car repair disputes are often identified as' contract disputes' rather than 'fraud', making it difficult to apply the punitive compensation provisions of the Consumer Rights Protection Law for fraudulent behavior of 'refund one and compensate three', "said Shen Aiguo. There are also obvious shortcomings at the regulatory level. Shen Aiguo said, "The market supervision department has a low frequency of spot checks on 4S stores, and the punishment is light. The fine of several thousand yuan is much lower than the illegal gains, and the cost of illegal activities is extremely low. The standards in the automotive maintenance industry are lagging behind, and there is a lack of clear definitions for 'excessive maintenance' and 'authenticity of parts', making it difficult to obtain evidence during law enforcement. Market supervision, transportation, consumer associations and other departments have overlapping responsibilities, which makes it easy for them to shift blame to each other after consumer complaints. ”Experts suggest that eradicating the chaos in the 4S dealership industry requires joint efforts from manufacturers, governments, industry organizations, and consumers. Firstly, it is necessary to strengthen the responsibility of manufacturers, include the after-sales complaint rate in the assessment, and impose heavy penalties on non compliant dealers. At the same time, it is necessary to publicly disclose the prices of original parts and the standards for maintenance labor costs, break the information monopoly, and provide consumers with more choices for vehicle maintenance channels. The relevant departments should strengthen supervision and explore the establishment of a 'blacklist' system for 4S stores, impose maximum penalties on enterprises that repeatedly violate regulations, and make it public to the society. ”Shen Aiguo said, "It is necessary to quickly formulate standards for automobile maintenance services, clarify the criteria for determining 'excessive maintenance', and require 4S stores to obtain consumer signature confirmation of the project list before maintenance. ”Some readers suggest that in order to enhance consumers' ability to protect their rights, organizations such as consumer associations can carry out popularization of automotive maintenance knowledge and teach consumers to identify common fraudulent methods. Some readers also suggest that the automotive after-sales maintenance industry itself should improve transparency. For example, 4S stores can be encouraged to introduce a 'repair process recording' system, where consumers can replay and view the repair and parts replacement situation. At the same time, we should vigorously develop independent third-party repair chain brands, force 4S stores to regulate their behavior through standardized services, and form a healthy competition. ”Reader Li Xia from Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province said. (New Society)