Recently, Henan Zhoukou China Unicom was exposed to have forced users to replace optical modems, causing concern. According to the Henan TV Metropolis Channel, Mr. Qi, an engineer at Zhoukou China Unicom, said that China Unicom requires each person to complete the target task of changing terminals for 10 households per month. Employees who fail to complete the task will be punished. He said that in order to force users to replace the optical modem, China Unicom stopped the user's broadband account in the background, causing the user to be unable to access the Internet, and then asked engineers to come to "repair" the optical modem and router.
On November 20, Zhoukou China Unicom responded that the provincial and municipal companies attached great importance to it and immediately set up a special work team to investigate. The Henan Provincial Communications Administration responded that they had conducted the first interview with Zhoukou Unicom and the specific situation was still under investigation.
An official statement has been made, and a special work team has been established. I believe the truth will eventually come to light. However, the shocking news that is suspected to be made by industry insiders still makes relevant user groups "feeling sad." According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's website, as of the end of September 2022, the total number of fixed Internet broadband access users of the three basic telecommunications companies was 578 million, a net increase of 42.57 million over the end of the previous year; and as of the end of September 2023, the total number of fixed Internet broadband access users of the three basic telecommunications companies was 630 million, a net increase of 40.19 million over the end of the previous year. It can be seen that broadband users have relatively entered the existing market.
In a time of red ocean, it is reasonable for operators to "pay special attention" to the utility value of individual users. However, tapping the potential of the existing market cannot be based on infringement of consumer rights. What kind of "cat" is a light cat? Under what circumstances must it be replaced? In the face of professional and technical barriers, most users may only accept the "exclusive right of interpretation". For a long time, the practice of changing products simply based on the operator's words has made many consumers dare to be angry but dare not speak out, and they can be angry but not speak out. In the face of performance at stake, how to effectively curb the impulse to "cut off the Internet and change cats" is indeed worthy of serious discussion.
In this regard, on the one hand, we need to check whether this behavior of "stopping users' broadband accounts in the background" is an individual "mischief" or an organizational act? On the other hand, in addition to the exposed local China Unicom, will other operators also have the possibility of similar operations? There is one detail worthy of attention: A query on the Black Cat Complaint Platform revealed that as early as the first half of 2022, many users complained to relevant operator companies, forcing users to replace optical modems on the grounds of broadband upgrades, otherwise they would not be able to access the Internet. By drawing inferences from one case and investigating to the end, this real-name reporting incident will not become a "melon" in the saliva.
During the live broadcast of the official flagship store of Henan Unicom, a large number of netizens rushed into the live broadcast room and said in the comment area, "If you have any second-hand optical cats, please link up." It can be seen that it is remarkable for companies to expand market scale, provide advanced technology, improve operating efficiency, and optimize marketing models; but if they cleverly create a name to fool customers and ignore their conscience for the sake of performance, they will sooner or later shoot themselves in the foot. Both the Telecommunications Regulations and the Civil Code actually clearly demarcate the legal boundaries of telecommunications marketing. If the companies involved really set up a "chain trap" both internally and externally, I'm afraid it's not just a matter of internal processing.
For now, the most critical thing is to find out the truth of the "Light Cat Incident" as soon as possible. If there is indeed an irregularity in grassroots operations, it must be dealt with seriously in accordance with the law and regulations, and a satisfactory explanation can be given to the majority of users.
Text/Deng Haijian