Process: Complaints & Protecting Your Rights
For price fraud, inferior goods passed off as genuine, false advertising and similar issues, you can call 12315, China's consumer complaint hotline. This page explains when returns are and aren't possible, the four-step complaint process, and the evidence to collect.
📞 Consumer Rights Hotline
If you encounter price fraud, inferior goods passed off as genuine, or false advertising, call 12315, China's consumer complaint hotline, to file a complaint and protect your rights.
When calling, please prepare: the store name, address, proof of purchase, and a description of the problem. 12315 staff will help mediate a solution with the merchant.
Complaints & Refunds: Your Rights
What to do when problems arise after purchase. Return rights for custom lenses are limited, but quality issues and processing errors are fully actionable.
✅ Cases Where Returns/Complaints Are Valid
• Wrong prescription processing — free remake
• Lens quality issues (scratches, coating peeling, bubbles) — free replacement
• Counterfeit products — full refund + compensation
• Non-human frame damage within the warranty period — free repair/replacement
❌ Cases Where Returns Aren't Possible
• Custom lenses — the "7-day no-questions-asked return" doesn't apply to lenses made to prescription
• Frames that have been worn and damaged by the user
• Clearance items marked "sale items, no returns or exchanges"
• Simply changing your mind after lens processing has started
📋 How to File a Complaint
Step 1: talk to the store manager first — most issues can be resolved on the spot.
Step 2: contact the market management office — every market has one.
Step 3: call 12315, the national consumer complaint hotline (use a translation app; some areas may offer foreign-language service).
Step 4: for serious fraud, call 110 to report to the police.
📸 Evidence to Collect
• Photos of the product, packaging and labels
• Fully itemized receipt/invoice
• Anti-counterfeit code scan result (screenshot)
• Store name, stall number, market name
• Communication records (WeChat chats, voice recordings)
• Prescription issued by the optometrist
Three Checks Before Buying
Run these three checks before paying at any store. Five minutes helps you avoid most common scams.
Check Labels: Manufacturer Name & Address
Every frame and lens package must carry a label showing the manufacturer's name, address and production date. If the label is missing, handwritten, or only says "OEM" with no manufacturer name — don't buy. This is a mandatory requirement under Chinese law.
Look at the printing on the inside of the frame temples. Lens packaging should carry a sticker showing brand, model, refractive index, prescription and production date. Photograph everything for your records.
Check the Anti-Counterfeit Code
Branded lenses (Zeiss, Essilor, Hoya, Nikon, etc.) have a scratch-off anti-counterfeit code on the packaging. Scratch it off and scan with WeChat — the result must show "first query." If it shows "queried X times," the code has been reused and the lenses are very likely fake.
If the anti-counterfeit code on the lens packaging is already scratched or damaged when you receive it, refuse the delivery. "Code-removed" lenses are gray-market goods with no brand warranty. Sellers scratch off codes to prevent brands from tracing unauthorized sales channels.
Check the Authorization Plaque
Authorized dealers usually hang a brand authorization plaque on the wall (typically framed). Verify it's an original, not a photocopy. You can call the brand's 400 customer-service line to verify the store name and authorization number. If the store can't show a plaque or refuses to let you verify — buy at your own risk.
Zeiss: 400-820-0901 | Essilor: 400-820-6868 | Hoya: 400-820-8866 | Nikon: 400-820-0608. Ask the store for its authorization number, then call to verify. Use a translation app to help communicate; some brands may have English-speaking support.