The State Administration for Market Regulation ("SAMR") has recently issued the Interim Measures for Disposition of Complaints and Reports Concerning Market Regulation (the "Measures"), with effect from January 1, 2020.
According to the Measures, complaints and reports to the market regulators shall be submitted through the relevant websites, by phone, fax or post, at offline windows, or through other channels, as published by the market regulators. Also, the Measures stipulate that where two or more complainants lodge complaints against the same business operator about the same consumer rights and interests under dispute, the market regulator may handle such complaints together, with their consent. Where two or more market regulators have the authority to deal with a complaint about the same consumer rights and interests under dispute, the complaint shall be dealt with by the market regulator that receives such complaint first. Moreover, the Measures expressly state that the market regulators shall dismiss the complaints, if the complaints do not fall into the scope of their duties or they have no authority to handle the complaints, or in any other given circumstances.