SF Express new rule, extra charge for signing! Netizens not buying it, where's the problem?

Compiled from: China Consumer News · China Consumer Network
 
Recently, SF Express's "pay 1 yuan for signature confirmation when sending a package" topped the Weibo trending list. Subsequently, the Zhejiang Provincial Consumers' Rights Protection Commission issued a statement questioning SF Express for suspected arbitrary fee charging. The issue arose after consumers reported that the "SF Express+" WeChat official account offers a paid value-added service called "signature confirmation" for 1 yuan, which infringes on their legitimate rights and interests. Does this mean that in the future, packages will not be delivered to the door unless this 1 yuan is paid?

 
 

SF Express responds:
This value-added service is a common practice in the express delivery industry. Such password-based delivery confirmation services originated from the special needs of customers in the jewelry, 3C electronics, and luxury goods sectors.

 
 

For example, in shipments from luxury goods clients, it is common for recipients to tell the courier that they are on a business trip out of town, asking a colleague to receive the package or requesting it be left at the front desk. When an incident occurs, the recipient may not accurately recall the delegation process or whether they authorized it. The password for signature confirmation must be forwarded by the recipient to the authorized person for delivery, effectively avoiding such disputes.
 
The Zhejiang Provincial Consumer Protection Committee believes:
The value-added "signature confirmation" service introduced by SF Express is actually a legal obligation that courier companies are required to fulfill.

 
 

SF Express unilaterally separated “delivery confirmation” from its mandatory statutory service obligations, which constitutes a suspected practice of creating pretexts to charge additional fees and infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of consumers.
 
SF Express's introduction of this value-added service may easily lead consumers to mistakenly believe that if they do not select this service option, SF Express may not provide the "signature confirmation" service, which raises suspicion of misleading consumers.
 
[1] The author's perspective
According to Article 25 of the Interim Regulations on Express Delivery, which came into effect on May 1, 2018: An enterprise engaged in express delivery business shall deliver the express item to the agreed recipient address, the recipient, or a designated agent of the recipient, and shall inform the recipient or the agent to conduct an on-site inspection. The recipient or the agent has the right to conduct an on-site inspection. It can thus be seen that it is the courier’s obligation, and indeed a matter of course, to deliver the express item to the designated location. In other words, door-to-door delivery is inherently included in the original express delivery service and should not incur additional charges. Therefore, is SF Express’s additional charge of 1 yuan for signature confirmation this time actually reasonable?

 
 

In my opinion, we must first note one point: the additional 1 yuan service is selected by the sender and is generally applicable to express services for high-value items, with the purpose of preventing disputes arising from signature issues. That is to say, the fundamental problem this value-added service addresses is not whether the courier delivers to the door, but whether the signer is the recipient themselves or an authorized person. Of course, I do not deny that many couriers currently place packages at collection points without notifying the recipient. This practice undoubtedly fails to fulfill the courier company's obligations and infringes on customers' rights. This situation must be improved. Even during the pandemic, when some residential areas do not allow couriers to go upstairs, couriers should first ask the recipient if the package can be left at the collection point, rather than silently leaving it without notice.
 
Looking back at this incident, regardless of SF Express's intentions, based on the current response, this value-added service is no longer suitable for continuation. First, it may further encourage the practice of couriers not delivering packages to customers' doors. Second, netizens who have long been “oppressed” by express delivery services will not accept it. In fact, online shopping is now very frequent and widespread in China, and the express delivery industry is bound to develop alongside it. When facing such a huge customer base, the express delivery industry should focus on improving its services. Given the existing problems, it should think about how to solve them rather than how to innovate rules to make customers pay.