When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
China

Where Posting Negative Online Reviews Can Ruin Your Life

In China, e-sellers harass consumers in some particularly disturbing ways if they've written negative reviews about their products.

Thinking about writing a negative review? Think again! (sbfh 0607)
Thinking about writing a negative review? Think again! (sbfh 0607)

BEIJING – The Chinese Internet is not a safe place. Criticizing government officials might land you a free (and sometimes lengthy) trip to a re-education camp or an eye-opening stay in a psychiatric ward.

If you're complaining about a product that you bought online, chances are you will receive bizarre presents such as an infant-size coffin, or a parcel containing disgusting and smelly things. Insulting phone calls in the middle of the night will keep you awake or your telephone number might simply become a hotline for phone sex.

The harassment will stop once you remove your online criticism or - even better - change it into praise.

If none of these threatening methods convince you, the sellers have other resources. For example, they can bribe the administrator of the website, delaying any criticism or use keywords to shield the offending text from being seen, or simply just have it deleted.

According to some Chinese industry resources, it is pretty much the unspoken rule these days that all online shopping evaluations are fakes.

Bad news travels fast

Word of mouth is one of the most important features of e-commerce. A negative comment has far greater effect since "good news usually stays inside while bad news travels far".

However, a "harmonious world" without any discord cannot possibly exist, either in the real world or in the virtual world. A product's poor rating serves as a warning to potential buyers, but also as a reminder to sellers about maintaining service and quality.

According to a study conducted by British online shopping evaluation site Reevoo, 68% of consumers said they trust reviews more when they see both good and bad scores, and 95% said they suspect censorship or faked reviews when they don't see bad scores.

A good business should respond to client reviews positively and actively. A lasting business is based on an environment where sellers are willing to accept criticism from customers with an open mind and use this criticism to improve their products or services. Reevoo's study showed that 18% of consumers became loyal customers after receiving a brand response to negative feedback, and 95% of them would actually recommend a brand or retailer to friends after great customer service.

Read the full article in Chinese.

*Newsbites are digest items not direct translations.

Photo - sbfh 0607

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Society

Why Poland's Draconian Anti-Abortion Laws May Get Even Crueler

Poland has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe. Several parties vying in national elections on Oct. 15 are competing for conservative Catholic voters by promising new laws that could put women's lives at risk.

Photograph of a woman with her lower face covered holding a red lightning bolt - the symbol of the Women's Strike - during the demonstration outside Kaczynski's house.

November 28, 2022, Warsaw, Poland: A protester holds a red lightning bolt - the symbol of the Women's Strike - during the demonstration outside Kaczynski's house.

Attila Husejnow/ZUMA
Katarzyna Skiba

-Analysis-

In 2020, Poland was rocked by mass protests when the country’s Constitutional Tribunal declared abortions in the case of severe fetal illness or deformity illegal. This was one of only three exceptions to Poland’s ban on abortions, which now only applies in cases of sexual assault or when the life of the mother is at risk.

Since the 2020 ruling, several women have filed complaints to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after giving birth to children with severe fetal abnormalities, many of whom do not survive long after birth. One woman working at John Paul II hospital in the Southern Polish town of Nowy Targ told Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza that a patient was forced to give birth to a child suffering from acrania a lethal disorder where infants are born without a skull.

However, even in cases where abortion is technically legal, hospitals and medical professionals in Poland still often refuse to perform the procedure, citing moral objections.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest