Canada Goose deserves scorn for discriminatory practices

"If the goods provided by a business fail to meet quality standards, the consumer has the right to return the goods to the business within seven days of buying it."

That is Article 24 of China's Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests. Yet when a woman surnamed Jia bought a Canada Goose sweater on Oct 27 and found it had a mistake on the logo, a mysterious odor and loose threads, her request to return the commodity was rejected.

When a journalist called its branch in Sanlitun, Beijing, the answer was the same: Not refundable.

There is no way to know what made Canada Goose decide this, but the fact is their "not refundable" policy breaks Chinese law and violates the legal rights and interests of Chinese consumers. It is fair to say they could face legal penalties unless they correct it.

The policy is also discriminatory against Chinese consumers. It is common practice that consumers have the right to return or exchange their purchased goods; Canada Goose follows this rule in most of its business regions. In Canada, the free return period can be as long as 30 days. It seems the Chinese mainland is one of the only regions with a "not refundable" policy.

That implies an inferiority of Chinese consumers. It is hard to imagine such naked discrimination in the business practices of a global brand.

On Wednesday, one month after the incident, the Shanghai Consumer Council talked with Canada Goose, and the latter said they had no idea about their shops' "exchange policy". On the same day, Canada Goose posted an "explanatory notice" on its official micro blog account, saying their "exchange policy" should be understood as Chinese consumers enjoying equal rights to return or exchange goods.

It remains to be seen whether Canada Goose is playing a game. But one thing is certain: Unless it has equal policies toward Chinese consumers and global counterparts, it will suffer — not only under Chinese law, but also the anger of offended Chinese consumers.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @zzxang86