Living in China
Overcharged in China? How to Complain and Get Your Money Back (2026)
By the 17Talk teaching team - certified Mandarin teachers, 8+ years of classroom experience, 3,500+ students in 40 countries
Last updated:
Quick answer
Keep the evidence, then use the right line. 12315 handles prices, food, shops and consumer disputes; 12328 handles taxis, buses and metro; 12345 is the city services hotline that routes almost anything else; 110 is for threats or force. The rules behind those lines are specific: prices and pricing methods must be clearly displayed, a business may not force or effectively force you to buy through technical means, and a metered taxi must use the meter, hand over a receipt, and may not refuse you, haggle over the fare, take a detour or drop you mid-trip - those taxi violations carry a fine of RMB 200 to 500. Photograph the menu, the meter, the receipt and the QR code you paid with before you leave, and note the time and address: a complaint with evidence is a different conversation from a complaint without it.
The four lines, and what each one actually covers
China's complaint system is split by subject, and calling the wrong line is the most common reason nothing happens. Keep this table on your phone.
| Line | Covers | Typical case |
|---|---|---|
| 12315 | Prices, food safety, shops, online sellers, consumer disputes (market regulation) | A shop charges more than the marked price; a restaurant bill does not match the menu |
| 12328 | Taxis, ride-hailing, buses, metro, intercity transport (transport supervision) | The driver refuses to use the meter, haggles, takes a long detour or will not give a receipt |
| 12345 | City services and anything that does not fit elsewhere | A scenic-area operator or hotel dispute that the other two lines bounce |
| 110 | Police: threats, force, being detained or pressured to pay | Someone blocks you from leaving until you pay |
The rules that are on your side
Three provisions do most of the work. Prices and pricing methods must be displayed clearly, so a sudden price at the counter is a complaint rather than a negotiation. A business may not use violence, coercion or technical means to force or effectively force you to buy something or accept a service, and it may not shut you out of other options. And a metered taxi must use its metering device, apply the official fare and hand you a valid receipt, while refusing a passenger, negotiating the fare, detouring or putting you out mid-trip are listed offences.
For taxis the penalty is concrete: the transport authority orders the driver to correct the behaviour and imposes a fine of RMB 200 to 500. That is worth knowing before you decide whether the argument is worth having - it usually is, because the amount is small and the evidence is on the meter.
The situations our students report most
These are the patterns that come up repeatedly in what learners tell us after a trip - not statistics, just the recurring shapes worth recognising.
A price that appears only at the counter, in a shop or restaurant with no displayed menu. A taxi whose meter is never switched on, or a ride-hailing driver who asks you to cancel the app and pay cash. A "free" tour, tea ceremony or cultural show that ends with a bill. A guided shopping stop where the guide earns a commission. A ticket reseller at a station gate selling a ticket you could buy inside at the official price.
Notice what they have in common: the ask comes after you are already committed, and the price is never the displayed one. That is exactly the shape the rules are written against.
The five minutes that decide the outcome
1. Before you pay or leave, photograph the menu, the price list, the meter, the receipt and the QR code or card slip. 2. Note the time, the address and, for a vehicle, the plate number. 3. If you are still on site, say that you will call 12315 (or 12328 for transport) and do it in front of them - the tone of the conversation changes immediately. 4. If the other side becomes threatening or blocks you, stop negotiating and call 110. 5. Ask the line for a complaint number, and keep the message or receipt from the platform if you booked online.
Two practical notes. The complaint lines operate in Chinese, so have a translation app ready or ask a Chinese speaker to help - the hotel front desk can do this. And bookings made through an app usually resolve faster inside the app than through any hotline, so use the platform's own dispute flow first when there is one.
Getting the money back
Refunds in China usually follow the payment path, not the complaint line: what you paid by card returns to the card, and what you paid by QR returns the same way. That is why the payment record matters as much as the receipt - it is the thing that proves what was actually charged.
If the seller accepts the mistake on the spot, take the refund and keep the receipt. If they do not, the complaint goes to the line that owns the subject, and the case rests on the evidence you collected before you left the counter. Nothing you remember later substitutes for the photo you did not take.
Common questions
Is bargaining normal in China?
In markets and souvenir stalls, yes. In shops, restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and taxis, prices are fixed - a shop that will only reveal its price at the counter is a pricing complaint, not a negotiation.
The taxi would not use the meter - what now?
Ask for the meter first; if the driver refuses, haggles, detours or will not give a receipt, that is a regulated offence punishable by a fine of RMB 200 to 500, and 12328 is the line that handles it.
Can I just refuse to pay an inflated bill?
Better: pay what you can document, keep the receipt, and complain. Walking away from an unpaid bill turns a pricing dispute into a police matter, and you lose the position of the person with evidence.
Do I need a Chinese phone number to complain?
The lines are phone-based and operate in Chinese. A local number makes it easier, but the hotel front desk or a Chinese-speaking friend can call on your behalf - and platform disputes need no phone call at all.
What if someone blocks me from leaving until I pay?
Stop negotiating and call 110. Being pressured or detained moves the situation from a consumer complaint to a police matter, and that is the line that matches it.
Which evidence actually matters?
The displayed price, the meter reading, the receipt, and the payment record - ideally photographed on the spot. Time, address and vehicle plate come second; memory comes last.
Read next
- Your First 24 Hours in China: An Arrival Checklist (2026)
- How to Use DiDi in China as a Foreigner (2026 Setup & Payment)
Sources
- 《中华人民共和国消费者权益保护法实施条例》(State Council Decree No. 778, in force 1 July 2024), State Council policy library (中国政府网) - Article 10: prices, pricing units and pricing methods must be clearly marked; Article 11: consumers have the right to choose, and businesses may not use violence, coercion, restriction of personal liberty or technical means to force or effectively force a purchase, or to limit the consumer's choice of other suppliers.
- 《巡游出租汽车经营服务管理规定》(交通运输部, Ministry of Transport), State Council policy library (中国政府网) - Article 23: drivers must carry receipts and change, must not refuse passengers, negotiate fares, detour or drop passengers mid-trip, and must use the metering device and hand over a valid fare receipt; Article 48: those violations are punishable by an order to correct and a fine of RMB 200 to 500.
- Complaint lines in mainland China: 12315 is the market-regulation line for price, food-safety and consumer complaints; 12328 is the transport service supervision line for taxis, buses and metro; 12345 is the city services hotline; 110 is the police emergency number.
- 17Talk teaching team: the recurring patterns in this guide are drawn from what learners reported after trips in 2025-2026; they are examples, not statistics.
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