Don’t let the shared massage chair become a ＂public hazard＂
Investigation motive
From the long hair of a female passenger in Chongqing West Railway Station being caught in a massage chair, to "Can the massage chair leave the cinema", and then to "The netizen complained that nearly 90% of the seats in high-speed railway station, Tai ‘an, Shandong Province are massage chairs, and the passengers had to sit on the floor" … … Recently, the related topics of "sharing massage chairs" frequently appeared in hot searches, which triggered a heated discussion among netizens.
In fact, the shared massage chair has been promoted for many years, and now it can be seen in many public places, such as stations, airports, shopping malls, cinemas and so on. What are the security risks of sharing massage chairs while providing convenience for consumers? Will the large-scale promotion of massage chairs in public places infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of consumers? With these questions, the reporter conducted an investigation and interview.
□ Our reporter Wen Lijuan
□ Intern Zheng Ting of this newspaper
When waiting for the bus, relax the calf muscles that are slightly nervous because of driving; Before the movie starts, use it to make a ceremonial ending for the day’s work; Tired of shopping, I spent more than ten minutes in the mall to make a SPA (decompression service) for my nervous shoulders and necks … …
With the development of sharing economy, shared massage chairs came into being. They are scattered in stations, airports, cinemas, shopping malls and office buildings. By imitating traditional massage techniques such as kneading, massage, back pounding and vibration, they can relieve muscle tension and relax the body and mind for consumers, and win the favor of many people with more affordable prices and just the right time.
However, a recent survey by the reporter of Rule of Law Daily found that while sharing massage chairs provides convenience for consumers, there are also some security risks, such as insufficient sanitation, damaged equipment skin, breakdown and disrepair. There are also interviewees who spit out and promote massage chairs in public places on a large scale, which occupies the space for setting ordinary seats and affects the normal exercise of the public’s right to rest.
A number of interviewed experts pointed out that sharing massage chairs is intended to enrich consumer demand and cannot be a "weapon" that harms consumers. No matter where the shared massage chair is laid, all parties concerned should do daily maintenance and cleaning to avoid accidents and endanger people’s safety.
Set up points in various public places
Not much investment and a lot of profit.
"For people like us who take overtime and business trips as their lives, it is the most intimate." Ms. Tian, who works in a foreign company in Beijing, is a big fan of the shared massage chair. She said that she has experienced the shared massage chair in almost all scenes.
Like Ms. Tian, many people are fans of sharing massage chairs. According to public data, in the peak period, the number of shared massage chairs laid nationwide exceeded 1 million in just one year. From cinemas to railway stations, airports and large supermarkets, shared massage chairs are set up everywhere.
The reporter recently visited Beijing Airport and several shopping malls and cinemas and found that some shopping malls have laid multiple shared massage chairs on each floor. Some cinemas have a special "massage chair rest area", and even there are many shared massage chairs in the viewing area.
On August 4th, the reporter saw in a shopping mall in Chaoyang, Beijing that eight shared massage chairs in the massage area on the second floor were full of people. Someone just started the massage service, someone is scanning the code, and others are sitting and enjoying the service. At Beijing Capital International Airport, the reporter noticed that there are many shared massage chairs in the waiting hall, almost all of which are full.
According to Zhang Shan (pseudonym), the head of a massage chair production company in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, sharing massage chairs does not require people to be on duty and distribute goods, with simple functions and low maintenance costs. Customers can enjoy the service after scanning the code and paying successfully. Each massage chair is monitored by remote data, and channel providers can check the status of massage chairs anytime and anywhere.
"Shared massage chairs are divided into two business models: direct sales and agency." Zhang Shan said that direct marketing means that massage chair manufacturers find channels such as shopping malls, cinemas and stations to negotiate through self-built platforms, and the manufacturers provide massage chairs free of charge, and the channel providers only need to provide venues, and the income is distributed through negotiation. For example, his production company buys raw materials on its own, develops corresponding products for specific places, and then talks with the cinema, paying rent for half a year to one year to put the products. "The company has put a total of 400,000 shared massage chairs in the inner halls of cinemas in China so far."
Agent means that massage chair manufacturers sell them in bulk to distributors and terminal operators. Zhang Shan introduced that their main customer groups are distributors and terminal operators. Manufacturers only produce and sell products, while distributors and terminal operators are responsible for the delivery and operation of products.
"If you have your own venue resources and directly lay equipment, the investment is low and the profit is high. Therefore, more and more agents are joining the sharing of massage chairs." Zhang Shan said that compared with the direct sales model, the agency model enables more people to participate in the shared massage chair industry.
To save cost and reduce maintenance
Poor hygiene and safety are hidden dangers.
As a business cooperation model, sharing massage chairs into these public places is a normal market behavior, but from the consumer experience, it has been questioned more and more.
Ms. Liang, who lives in Shunde, Guangdong, and her husband used to go for a walk in the shopping mall near their home after dinner. When they saw the shared massage chair, they scanned the code and sat on it, but after the machine started, Ms. Liang felt very "chicken ribs".
"All I can feel is back massage and waist rubbing. Due to the height limitation, the shoulder massage pieces on both sides can’t touch the shoulders at all after being inflated, let alone relax. When the calf is pressed, it is almost lonely, and when it is inflated to the maximum, it can only feel that the ankle is squeezed. I am thin, and hand massage has no effect. " Ms. Liang said.
Ms. Zhou from Haikou, Hainan, also experienced "one money, two effects" when using the shared massage chair in the cinema. When watching movies, she adjusted the massage chair mode to massage her lower back and waist because she was worried that the sound of massaging her shoulders and neck would affect others’ viewing experience. When she got up the next morning, Ms. Zhou felt severe pain in her back and looked in the mirror and found a large bruise on her back.
"Shared massage chairs are generally made according to the average height and shape of adults, which is not completely applicable to some people who are obese or petite. At the same time, it is not suitable for patients with osteoporosis, shoulder and neck diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, etc. If ordinary consumers use it improperly, it will easily cause physical damage. " Wang Yue, a professor at Peking University Institute of Medical Humanities, warned.
Hygiene is not enough, which is the common feeling of many users who share massage chairs.
Ms. Wu, from Changchun, Jilin, was tired from shopping with friends in the mall not long ago, and wanted to use the shared massage chair to relax. Unexpectedly, after sitting down, I immediately felt that the contact surface between pants and chair was wet, and I could smell a fishy smell. She carefully identified that there might be a pool of urine on the massage chair. "It really collapsed!" After contacting the mall for handling, the mall said that it was unable to supervise such incidents, and finally paid Ms. Wu’s laundry fee and massage chair coupons.
Ms. Luo, who lives in Zunyi, Guizhou, has a similar experience. When she returned to her hometown this summer vacation, she sat in the shared massage chair for nearly an hour because there were no empty seats waiting at the station. The next day, she found urticaria on the back of her thigh, and there was no obvious improvement after the injection.
"For the shared massage chairs in the waiting area of the cinema, we require daily cleaning and regular wiping of the visible parts of the massage chairs. The massage chairs in each cinema hall are cleaned irregularly, usually once a week. But there are often some ‘ Leather child ’ I like to step on the chair barefoot, and we can’t wait there all the time. " A cleaning aunt at a cinema in Chaoyang, Beijing, told reporters.
Respondents also reported that some shared massage chairs were not repaired in time after failure, which caused safety hazards and even safety accidents.
In July this year, a long hair of a female passenger in Chongqing West Railway Station was caught in a shared massage chair, which caused widespread concern among netizens. The investigation results showed that the cause of the accident was that the protective layer of the massage chair was damaged, and after the comprehensive investigation, it was found that other massage chairs were damaged.
For this kind of problem, some insiders told reporters that the shared massage chairs placed in public places such as shopping malls, cinemas and stations generally need to be cleaned and maintained by the users themselves, but many distributors are unwilling to maintain them regularly because of cost considerations.
"After the massage chair is put into operation, the manufacturer, distributor and terminal operator need to arrange personnel for daily maintenance. The machine needs to be disinfected once a week without special circumstances. If the machine is abnormal, the background system will have an alarm prompt. " Zhang Shan said that the maintenance cost is not a small expense, and the monthly operating cost of 400,000 shared massage chairs put in by his company is about 3 million to 4 million yuan.
According to Zhang Shan, the massage chair mainly composes the sales price of the product according to four aspects: the material cost of the product itself, the intelligent degree of the software, the production cost of the enterprise and the management cost of the enterprise. The purchase cost of products put in public places is about 2,500 yuan to 3,500 yuan. The shared massage chairs sold by the production company to the distributors and terminal operators are mainly maintained and repaired by the latter two. Only when the loss of shared massage chairs accumulates to a certain amount, the production company will provide certain maintenance services. Some dealers may choose to save daily maintenance fees in order to recover costs in time and save costs.
Suggest that harm is indispensable.
Intensify daily inspections.
A number of interviewed experts pointed out that the public has a certain demand for shared massage chairs, but they should not expand in disorder and occupy public space at will, but should be set up according to the characteristics of places. For example, in hospitals, stations and other places with dense traffic and tight seat resources, the number of shared massage chairs should be moderate, and should be set in relevant edges and corners; Shopping malls, cinemas and other commercial places can be set up, but the layout should be reasonable and compliant, and it is not allowed to occupy fire exits and affect people’s traffic. For some problems that occur in reality, such as the sharing of massage chairs that lead to physical injuries such as allergies, bruises, curly hair, etc., the person in charge of the venue and suppliers should bear the liability for compensation, and consumers should also learn to protect their rights according to law.
In Wang Yue’s view, the identity of users of shared massage chairs is diverse and uncertain, and it is impossible to confirm whether users have skin diseases or other infectious diseases, thus infecting leather chairs with germs. The person in charge of the venue where the massage chairs are placed needs to undertake the obligation of regular cleaning and keeping clean, but the causes of allergies or skin inflammation are various, and the fabric material of the massage chairs may also be one of the causes of diseases, which cannot be generalized.
"For the shared massage chairs in public places, the venue responsible party and the massage chair supplier should bear the responsibility of safety guarantee. Shopping malls provide massage chair services and need to ensure that they meet the basic requirements of protecting personal and property safety. " Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary general of china law society Consumer Protection Law Research Association, said.
From the perspective of consumer rights protection, Chen Yinjiang believes that if improper or abnormal use is likely to cause harm, the relevant responsible party needs to make a clear explanation or warning to remind consumers of the precautions and correct use methods. If the product is not enough to protect personal and property safety, or the relevant safety tips are insufficient, thus causing personal injury or property loss to consumers, the relevant responsible party needs to bear the corresponding liability for compensation.
"In the event of personal injury or property loss, consumers should first keep relevant evidence in time and negotiate with service providers. If negotiation fails, you can complain to the Consumers Association or the relevant administrative departments and request to participate in mediation. If mediation still cannot be resolved, you can also defend your rights by applying for arbitration or court prosecution. " Chen Yinjiang said that the relevant responsible parties need to bear the liability for compensation, including medical expenses and reasonable transportation and lost time expenses.
"The key to solving the problem is that operators should operate in good faith and abide by the law, and actively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers." Chen Yinjiang said that the regulatory authorities should step up their daily inspections. If they find that there are obvious violations of laws and regulations in business practices, or obviously damage the rights and interests of consumers, they should promptly investigate and deal with them according to law, urge rectification, and ensure the provision of high-quality shared massage services for consumers.