A seafood restaurant in Sanya was punished with a fine of 500,000 yuan and ordered to suspend operations for three months because it secretly replaced the live seafood that customers had chosen with dead ones.

The “Protecting Consumer Rights” campaign typical cases were recently announced by the Hainan Provincial Market Supervision and Administration Bureau. One seafood restaurant in Sanya was found to have used just-dead seafood or frozen seafood to replace the fresh seafood that consumers had selected on the spot. The illegal earnings amounted to 1658.6 yuan. In response, the Sanya Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau instructed the restaurant to immediately correct its illegal business practices and imposed administrative penalties of warning, confiscating the illegal earnings of 1658.6 yuan, a fine of 500,000 yuan, and a three-month suspension of business operations.

The five typical cases announced this time are as follows:

1. Sanchuanxiang Seafood Restaurant in Sanya frauds consumers
On September 7, 2024, the Sanya Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau received a report from the Internet Information Office about the replacement of shrimps at Sanchuanxiang Seafood Restaurant in Sanya. The bureau immediately conducted an investigation together with the Sanya Market Supervision and Administration Bureau. It was found that during the period from August 10 to September 6, 2024, Sanchuanxiang Seafood Restaurant used just-dead seafood or frozen seafood to replace the fresh seafood selected by consumers for seven consumer orders, with illegal earnings totaling 1658.6 yuan. The Sanya Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau instructed Sanchuanxiang Seafood Restaurant to immediately correct its illegal business practices and imposed administrative penalties including warnings, confiscation of illegal earnings of 1658.6 yuan, a fine of 500,000 yuan, and a three-month suspension of business operations.

2. Chen Guonei Aquarium Stall in Xiuxing District of Haikou destroys measuring instruments and shortchanges consumers
On August 27, 2024, based on举报线索, the Haikou Market Supervision and Administration Bureau conducted an on-site inspection at Chen Guonei Aquarium Stall in Xiuxing District of Haikou. It was found that the “electronic scale” used by Chen Guonei Aquarium Stall for selling seafood had no manufacturer’s label and the sealing lead was damaged, indicating the existence of cheating in weighing. Chen Guonei Aquarium Stall sold five types of seafood to consumers, with a reported weight of 31.4kg and a total amount of 4560 yuan (actually paid 4500 yuan). However, the actual weight measured by a fair scale was only 26.58kg, resulting in a short weight of 4.82kg and illegal earnings of 696.4 yuan. The Haikou Market Supervision and Administration Bureau instructed Chen Guonei Aquarium Stall to immediately correct its illegal business practices and imposed administrative penalties including warnings, confiscation of illegal earnings of 696.4 yuan, a fine of 300,000 yuan, and a six-month suspension of production and business operations.

3. Sanya Yiheng Shopping Center fails to fulfill management obligations
The Sanya Tianya Beike Girl Catering Shop and individual businesswoman Ha Shaolian, who are located in Sanya Yiheng Shopping Center (Yiheng Night Market), have been investigated and dealt with by the Sanya Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau for consumer fraud and short-weight violations on December 25, 2023 and March 8, 2024 respectively. It was found that Sanya Yiheng Shopping Center (Yiheng Night Market), as the operator of the trading market, failed to fulfill its management obligations such as review, inspection, cessation, and reporting during its operation and management, resulting in two consumer frauds by its merchants within one year. The Sanya Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau imposed a fine of 100,000 yuan on Sanya Yiheng Shopping Center (Yiheng Night Market) and a fine of 30,000 yuan on its legal representative Zheng Wuhua.

4. Fruit vendor uses cheating scales to sell fruits
Based on consumer complaints and a referral letter from Lingshui County Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, Lingshui County Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau inspected the fruit stall operated by Cao Lan. It was found that Cao Lan’s fruit stall used an electronic scale (Xiangyu brand, model ACS-899) for trade settlement, and there was a remote-controlled cheating module installed between the circuit board and the display. By operating the remote control, the displayed weight could be controlled, thus altering the actual weight of the measured object to deceive consumers and shortchange them. Lingshui County Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau issued administrative penalties including warnings to Cao Lan, confiscated the Xiangyu brand electronic scale (model: ACS-899), and imposed a fine

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