Shanghai Consumer Body Flags Surge in Shared-Rental and AI Service Complaints in H1 2026

Shanghai’s consumer protection committee released an analysis of consumer complaints for the first half of 2026, showing an overall decline in total complaints but notable increases tied to shared-rental services and emerging AI-related consumption, according to Jiemian News. From December 21, 2025 to June 20, 2026, the city’s consumer protection system handled 4,705 complaints related to shared services, up 65.8% year on year, with issues including inaccurate bike-sharing billing, unresolved vehicle faults, unclear power-bank charging rules and disputed overtime fees. It also accepted 377 complaints related to AI services, up 35.6%, with consumers citing misleading AI course marketing, exaggerated product claims and auto-renewal charges without clear consent.

The report said tourism-related complaints were broadly stable but highlighted insufficient disclosure in traffic-driving promotions, including low-price listings that obscure add-on fees and restrictive terms, and private-channel marketing of add-on services such as “weather guarantees” that fail to match consumer expectations. For online shopping, the system received 74,034 complaints, with common issues including misleading promotion, failure to honor seven-day no-reason returns, slow after-sales responses, cumbersome return processes, unclear coupon rules and system glitches during peak periods. Over the same period, the system answered 20,063 consumer inquiries, facilitated 147,832 early settlements by companies and processed 145,756 complaints internally; goods-related complaints accounted for 60.4% of the total, led by apparel and footwear (14.4%), home goods (9.1%) and household appliances (5.3%), while service-related complaints made up 39.6%, led by sales services (9.9%), internet services (7.8%) and transportation services (4.0%).