According to data released by the Shanghai Consumer Council on Feb 3, 2017, during Chinese Spring Festival (which began on Jan 27) there were 584 consumer complaints in the city, a 14.3 percent decrease year-on-year, and the complaints focused on accommodations and transportation.

Recorded until midnight on Feb 2, the data showed accommodation and services complaint cases totaled 92, 15.75 percent of the total amount.

Most complaints were about being unable to check-in at hotels after booking online using third-party platforms, being informed that a hotel is fully booked after having paid online, poor sanitary conditions, and supplementary services-such as breakfast and bar—being inconsistent with advertisements.

Transportation complaints were another focus. In the same period, there were 58 transportation complaint cases, an increase of 28.9 percent year-on-year. Among them, 31 cases were air transport complaints.

Concerning this aspect, the most common problems were expensive cancellation charges from third-party ticket platforms, ambiguous indications for “grabbing” tickets with additional service charges, unavailability of notifications in advance in case of cancellation or departure time changes, and vehicle models and conditions being inconsistent with the order.