Female Consumer Disputes Night Market Gaming Fee 台南民眾夜市射氣球被索價5200 市府稽查

A few days ago, a person posted on Facebook, saying that she was asked to pay NT$5,200 for shooting balloons at a dart throwing booth in Tainan's Huayuan Night Market. In this regard, the Tainan City Government officials, along with consumer protection officers, inspected the night market on the evening of the 24th. 

A woman was shooting darts at a balloon shooting stand in the Huayuan Night Market, but she was asked to pay NT$5,200 by the owner afterward. After bargaining, she paid NT$2,600. However, she posted the incident on Facebook, questioning the fact that the stall owner did not explain clearly and felt deceived. On the evening of the 24th, the Tainan City Economic Development Bureau, together with consumer protection officers and the Market Administration Office, took action by inspecting night market stalls to ensure the rights and interests of consumers. 

Tainan City officials believe that although the operator has signs put out, they are not very clear and can easily mislead consumers. Officials said the rules of the game must be made clear to consumers. The stall operator said they will make improvements. Going forward, the night market management committee will ensure and safeguard the rights and interests of consumers.

Chen Hao-chi, Tainan City Market Administration Office: “The signs were clearly not labeled by the operator. For example, the operator only writes 1 round for NT$100 and NT$200. It wasn't clearly stated that it was NT$200 per game and how many darts were given. Even the prizes are not clearly marked according to the number of points. We have asked the operator to improve immediately.”

Feng Chi-wen, Chief Consumer Protection Officer, Tainan City: “In the event of a consumer dispute, we suggest the consumer file a complaint with the consumer protection officer. We also appeal to night market stall operators that self-discipline is necessary to jointly maintain the night market's quality. ”

Government officials emphasized that if consumers find any violation of the Consumer Protection Act or other legal suspicions, report the incident to the night market's management committee immediately. The city government will then deal with it impartially in accordance with relevant laws and regulations. If operators refuse to comply with repeated improvement requests, they can be fined up to NT$1.5 million in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act and be refused booth rental. Tainan City's Consumer Protection Committee asks the public to pay attention to the labels when consuming. In the event of consumer disputes, they recommend reporting the incident to the Consumer Protection Committee to protect their own rights.

一名女子正在花園夜市的射氣球攤上射飛鏢，不過事後卻被業者要求付款5200元，後來經過討價還價，民眾付款2600元，但事後民眾將過程放上網路，質疑因攤商未說清、受騙，引發熱烈討論。為此，台南市經發局24日晚間，會同消保官、市場處大動作稽查夜市攤商，確保消費者權益。

經過了解，台南市經發局認為業者雖然有標示，不過標示不清，容易誤導消費者，也當面告知必須讓消費者清楚遊戲規則，業者也允諾改善，而後續也會請夜市管委會善盡管理之責，維護消費品質及消費者權益。

台南市市場處長陳豪吉回應：「現場有發現業者標示不清的一個情形，例如業者上面只有寫1局100元、200元，但卻沒有寫明1局200元射幾隻鏢，甚至於獎品也沒有按照點數來標示清楚，這點我們也要求業者，應該立即以予改善。」

台南市主任消保官馮祺雯指出：「一旦發生消費糾紛，建議可以向消保官申訴，另外也要籲請夜市的攤商必須自律，共同維護夜市的品質。」

台南市府經發局強調，若消費者發現有違反消費者保護法或其他法律嫌疑，請立即向夜市管理委員會反映，市府將依相關法令秉公處理，若有屢勸不聽的業者，除了可依照消保法開罰最高150萬元外，同時也拒絕承租攤位。而台南市消保處則說，呼籲民眾消費時務必注意標示，一旦發生消費糾紛，也建議可以向消保處反應，保證自身權益。