A woman in Jinan who paid in full for a smart electric bicycle found that a year later the app suddenly demanded a subscription to keep using remote unlocking and GPS locating, with a popup she could not close unless she paid. This practice of 'undisclosed at purchase, then forced to pay later' is suspected of violating consumers' right to know and fair-trading rights.
The crux is that smart functions became an 'annual subscription.' When Ms. Chen bought the bike in Jinan for more than 5,000 yuan, the salesperson only demonstrated remote control and real-time locating, without mentioning those services had an expiry. A year later, the app popped up 'smart service expiring soon' with an uncloseable window that forced a restart to unlock, seriously delaying startup when it rained or she urgently needed to move the bike.
Across the market, leading brands such as Yadea, Tailg, Niu and Ninebot widely use a model of 'one free year of service at purchase, then a paid subscription.' For example, Tailg charges 42 yuan a year, Ninebot 66, Niu 89. Not renewing mainly affects cloud features like GPS, remote control and tamper alerts, while local basics like Bluetooth and NFC still work and the bike rides normally.
Legally, hiding information before sale is suspected of infringement. Lawyers note that smart functions are a core selling point and key value of today's e-bikes. Failing to disclose the service term before sale means not fully and truthfully disclosing key product information. Making continued use conditional on payment, even disabling basic functions technically, after the consumer was unaware, amounts to a disguised forced transaction that infringes fair-trading rights. If the smart function materially affected the purchase decision but was unilaterally disabled, the consumer may demand contract rescission and a refund; in serious cases, 'refund one, pay three' can be claimed.
Remedies include preserving evidence, complaining, and litigation. Consumers should keep the purchase invoice, contract, sales materials, app screenshots and chat records as core evidence, and may complain to local market regulators via 12315 or the national platform. Courts have accepted such cases; if negotiation and complaints fail, a lawsuit under the Consumer Rights Protection Law can seek rescission, refund or damages, and, if fraud is proven, treble damages.
