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[beijingmac]

I visited Hefei in May. I went through the Lord Bao Park and it was wonderful. I visited a store in the park and saw an ink stone I really liked. The price was 1500 RMB. I obtained the email address of the person that sells the ink stones and I asked if they could ship it to me. They said they would give me a 20% discount and ship it to me in Beijing. My wife did not trust the person to ship the exact inkstone I saw, so I sent a picture of the inkstone saying that the one I wanted had a bottom corner missing. I didn't mind the defect, I wanted that exact inkstone I saw. In an email reply, the sales person then raised the price to 2000 RMB, instead of the price they offered (1200 RMB) or the store price (1500 RMB).

I think it is ironical that a store in a park which honors the Lord Bao, who represents honesty, integrity, and a symbol of justice would try to rip me off. Its a disgrace. I want to contact the park manager and tell them about the situation and ask for their help to have the inkstone shipped to me at the original price of 1500 RMB. I am very tired of Chinese people who believe it is their duty to rip people off. In a park that respects justice, is it too much to ask to be treated honestly by the merchants in the park?

I do not speak Chinese, so I would need to communicate in English with whomever is in charge.

Thanks very much in advance for your help!

Steve (in Beijing)

PS: If anyone has any other suggestions about this, please do not hesitate to reply. Thanks.

[rgeczi]

You could try to visit the Hefei City government, or even the Anhui government website, and see what you can find.  I think I have seen the Hefei site in English, but I can't be 100% sure.  Try to google it and see what you can find.  If the site is in Chinese, or need to message someone in Chinese, just simply use the "Google Translate" tool and voila.

[rgeczi]

Try this email:

[email protected]

It's their Chinese website's webmaster address.  What you can do, is translate your English into Chinese using the Google tool I told you about, and then it will get the ball rolling.  The translation tool is not perfect, so try not to use slang or whatever, because it will not comprehend well.  And include in your email that you are a foreigner, so excuse the possibly poor translation. 

It's a start.

Good luck.

[beijingmac]

Thanks for your help.

Unfortunately, there is very little information on the English version of the Hefei website. I will try to contact the webmaster, but I doubt if he will answer my email. If you can read Chinese, could you see if you can find an email contact or phone number at the city government office on the Chinese language website?

Most managers, etc., do not provide any contact information in China.

Thanks.

[rgeczi]

Actually, the webmaster for this site might actually be a good person to talk with, at least initially.  The translated version of the Chinese site shows that this is the contact email.  They actaully did have a number, in the same area.  I will take a look again, and post it here when I have it.

[rgeczi]

The exact info from the site for a person or place to contact is below:


Address: East Road 100, Hefei, China Zip: 230072
Tel :0551-3538540
Fax :0551-3538537
Service mail: [email protected]

Please keep in mind that the person on the other end of the telephone line will most likely not be able to speak English.  So, I really feel that you should get a friend of yours, Chinese person, to call on your behalf.  And come to think about it, if you actually do have a friend who is Chinese, they should scour the Chinese search engine for the actual shop place you want to buy from.  I am sure it's easier for them to find it there, then it is going the route I have laid out.

Good luck.

[beijingmac]

Thanks very much for the address and phone number. Unfortunately, I am on my own trying to solve this issue. My wife refuses to get involved because she feels that most Chinese are dishonest. (She was born and raised in Beijing).

Do you think you could find an email or fax number for the mayor or city government?

I'll send an email to the webmaster as you suggested. Many thanks!

PS: Still open to any other suggestions, especially from Chinese speakers.

[rgeczi]

They actually used to have the contact information for the mayor, and the various govermental departments on the English website for Hefei, but took them down.  No idea why.  I had a bone to pick with someone and wrote the mayor himself (herself?), and someone responded.  In Chinese, they said something like we will take care of it, or something like that, but also added that I got them in trouble for sending my negative email. 

Interesting conversation it was.

[beijingmac]

Do you still have the email address for the Mayor's office?

Thanks.

[Lili Chen]

Hefei mayor's email address: [email protected]
If someone can speak Chinese for you, she or he can call 0051-12345 to ask for help. This phone number is the hot line to Hefei mayor.
If you need some translation from English to Chinese, i would like to help if i am trusted.
Good luck.


Lili

[beijingmac]

Hi Lili.

I sent an email to the address in your profile. You are very kind to offer your help. I really appreciate it!

Steve