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How to File a China 12315 Consumer Complaint
Jason Chen
August 31, 2026· Updated October 4, 2026· 11 min read
12315 is China's national consumer complaint and report channel for market regulation, reachable through the National 12315 Platform at www.12315.cn, the 12315 hotline, or a postal address or service window published by the competent authority.［1］［3］ File a China 12315 consumer complaint when a purchase for personal or household consumption has produced a genuine dispute with a merchant and direct negotiation has not solved it. Identify the merchant, state the specific remedy you seek, and attach evidence that proves the transaction and dispute.［3］
Key Takeaways
- A complaint asks market regulators to help resolve a consumer dispute; a report supplies a suspected regulatory-violation lead.
- Preserve the order, payment, product or service description, merchant identity, communications, and requested remedy before filing.
- The current rules require truthful complainant identity, merchant name and address, a specific request, and supporting facts.
- The competent authority normally decides within seven working days whether to accept a complaint, not whether the consumer wins.
- Mediation requires both parties' consent and may end without agreement.
- A 12315 submission does not guarantee a refund, compensation, punishment, or court-enforceable result.
Try the merchant or platform's ordinary after-sales path first when it remains safe and practical. The Chinese shopping-app refund guide owns that commercial workflow; this article begins when you need the market-regulation complaint route. Keep broader connectivity preparation in the Best VPN for China guide, because network access does not create consumer eligibility or change the authority's decision.
Is a China 12315 consumer complaint the correct route?
The Market Supervision Complaint and Report Handling Measures, effective 15 April 2026, define a complaint as a consumer's request for market regulators to resolve a dispute arising from goods or services purchased for daily consumption. A report is information about a suspected breach of market-supervision law.［3］ If one submission contains both, the authority handles the complaint and report under their separate procedures.
The regulation implementing the Consumer Rights Protection Law remains a separate source of substantive consumer-protection duties. Filing through 12315 does not by itself establish that a violation occurred or create an automatic remedy.［4］
| Your objective | Route | What to provide |
|---|---|---|
| Ask the seller for return, refund, replacement, or correction | Merchant/platform after-sales | Order, issue, requested remedy |
| Ask market regulators to mediate a consumer dispute | 12315 complaint | Identity, merchant, dispute facts, specific request |
| Report a suspected market-regulation violation | 12315 report | Specific lead and factual basis |
| Ask a general local-government service question | 12345 | Location, department, service request |
| Seek a binding damages judgment | Court or agreed legal route | Legal claim and admissible evidence |
| Report theft, threats, or immediate danger | Police/emergency channel | Safety and incident facts |
Do not label a disagreement as fraud or a crime simply to attract attention. Describe what happened and let the competent authority classify it. If your question is about a local public service rather than a merchant, use the 12345 government service hotline guide.
What evidence should you collect before filing?
Build a small evidence folder before the order page, chat, or payment record becomes unavailable. Keep the original file or page where possible and note when it was captured.
- Transaction: order number, date, amount, payment method, item or service, and delivery or service record.
- Merchant: legal or displayed name, store name, platform page, address shown on the receipt or platform, and contact route.
- Problem: photos, inspection result, advertisement, terms, cancellation record, or other material that directly proves the disputed fact.
- Negotiation: what you asked the merchant to do, when, and how it replied or failed to reply.
- Remedy: a precise request such as refunding a stated transaction, repairing the item, replacing it, completing a contracted service, or correcting a charge.
- Identity and contact: truthful name, telephone number, and correspondence address, plus identity proof only where requested for verification.
A fapiao can help identify the transaction and seller, but its tax purpose differs from the complaint itself. Use the fapiao and receipt guide when you need to understand which document you received.
Do not upload an entire bank statement when one redacted transaction record is sufficient. Do not alter screenshots, invent a merchant address, or crop away information that changes the meaning. The rules require the complainant to take responsibility for the truthfulness of submitted material.［3］
How do you file a complaint on 12315 step by step?
- Make one final written request to the merchant if doing so is safe and the dispute has not already reached an impasse.
- Decide whether you are making a complaint, a report, or both. Write separate factual paragraphs and separate desired outcomes when both are involved.
- Open the official National 12315 Platform at
www.12315.cn, call 12315, or use a postal address or service window published by the competent market-regulation authority.［1］［3］ - Register or identify yourself truthfully. Follow the current identity-verification process; do not borrow another person's account.
- Enter the merchant's name and address as shown by a receipt, platform disclosure, contract, business information, or other reliable record.
- Describe the transaction in chronological order: purchase, promised terms, problem, contact with the merchant, and present status.
- State one or more specific remedies. Avoid vague text such as “deal with them severely” when your actual request is a refund or repair.
- Upload the minimum relevant evidence. Use clear filenames and keep the originals outside the platform.
- Review the jurisdiction, identity, contact details, remedy, dates, and amounts before submitting.
- Save the submission number, confirmation page, submitted text, attachment list, and time of filing.
- Respond to a lawful request for clarification or identity verification through the official channel.
- Track the acceptance decision and any mediation request without assuming that a status update is a final result.
The national platform centralizes complaint and report data, but the competent local market-regulation department handles the matter.［2］ Under the current rules, a complaint is generally handled by the county-level department for the merchant's actual business location or domicile. Platform businesses and sellers on platforms have more detailed jurisdiction rules, so provide the platform-disclosed address rather than guessing.［3］
What happens after submission?
The competent market-regulation authority must decide within seven working days of receiving the complaint whether to accept it and inform the complainant.［3］ This is an acceptance decision. It is not a seven-day deadline for a refund, investigation, settlement, or final victory.
If accepted, mediation is used with the consent of both complainant and merchant. It may take place in person or through internet, telephone, audio, or video channels.［3］ Either party can refuse or later make clear that agreement is impossible.
| Stage | Possible result | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Intake | Routed to competent authority | The case has entered the administrative workflow |
| Acceptance review | Accepted or not accepted | The authority has decided whether complaint conditions are met |
| Mediation consent | Both consent or one refuses | Mediation proceeds only with the required consent |
| Evidence/quality question | More material or appraisal discussed | Cost and timing may require separate agreement |
| Mediation | Agreement or no agreement | The authority facilitates; it does not promise settlement |
| Termination | Notice of termination | Other lawful dispute routes may remain available |
The rules list several termination grounds. One is failure to reach a mediation agreement within 60 days from acceptance; time for agreed appraisal or testing is excluded.［3］ The authority should notify the parties of termination, but that does not transform the disputed consumer claim into an automatic payment obligation.
Why might a 12315 complaint not be accepted?
A complaint may fall outside market-regulation responsibilities or the receiving authority's jurisdiction. It may already have been accepted or handled through a court, arbitration body, market-regulation department, another administrative authority, or consumer association. It may not concern a purchase for daily consumption, may lack proof of a real consumer dispute, may exceed the applicable time boundary, or may omit required information.［3］
If the authority does not accept the complaint, read the stated reason before resubmitting. A new copy with the same missing merchant address or vague request is unlikely to solve the problem.
Troubleshooting and escalation decision tree
| Problem | Check | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Merchant cannot be found | Receipt, platform disclosure, contract, business address | Ask the platform for the seller record; do not invent an address |
| Foreign phone number is rejected | Number format, SMS access, current channel requirements | Use the hotline or another officially published channel if available |
| Complaint was sent to the wrong authority | Merchant's actual location or domicile | Follow the routing notice or submit to the identified competent authority |
| Submission is not accepted | Read the exact legal or factual reason | Add missing required material or use the stated alternative route |
| Merchant refuses mediation | Confirm the refusal in the case record | Consider consumer association, arbitration where agreed, or court advice |
| Sixty days pass without agreement | Check whether excluded appraisal time applies | Save the termination notice and assess another lawful remedy |
| You discover a suspected violation | Separate the regulatory lead from your refund request | Submit or maintain a report with specific facts |
| You need a binding remedy | Identify jurisdiction and claim value | Seek qualified legal advice on arbitration or litigation |
Do not threaten, harass, mass-file, or use false material. The current rules prohibit abusing complaint and report rights for improper gain or disruption.［3］ Keep the record factual even when the merchant's response is frustrating.
Summary
- Negotiate through the merchant or platform first where practical, then preserve the complete record.
- Separate a consumer complaint from a regulatory report.
- Provide truthful identity, merchant name and address, specific remedy, and supporting facts.
- File through the National 12315 Platform, hotline, or another official market-regulation channel.
- Treat seven working days as the acceptance-decision period, not a refund deadline.
- Understand that mediation requires consent and may end without agreement after 60 days or for another listed reason.
- Keep the submission and outcome records for any later lawful remedy.
FAQ
What is the official China 12315 platform website?
The National 12315 Platform's web portal is www.12315.cn. SAMR has also described access through the platform's own app, WeChat official account, and mini programs inside WeChat, Alipay, and Baidu.［2］ Open these entries directly rather than through search ads or lookalike sites, and check that the page names the National 12315 Platform before you enter identity or order details.
Can a foreign tourist use 12315?
An international visitor with a genuine consumer dispute can submit through an available official channel, subject to the same required identity, merchant, jurisdiction, and factual information. The current platform's registration and contact options still apply.
Is a complaint the same as reporting an illegal business practice?
No. A complaint asks for help resolving your consumer dispute. A report supplies a suspected violation lead. When one submission contains both, the authority handles them separately.
Must I contact the merchant first?
Direct negotiation is encouraged and often produces the fastest practical record, but the controlling rules and circumstances determine whether it is required in a particular route. Save the request and response.
Does 12315 guarantee a refund?
No. The authority decides acceptance and may facilitate consensual mediation. The facts, law, merchant response, evidence, and any later legal route determine the result.
What does the seven-working-day rule mean?
It is the period for the competent authority to decide whether to accept or not accept the complaint and notify you. It is not a deadline for settlement or payment.
What if I do not know the merchant's legal name?
Check the receipt, fapiao, platform disclosure, contract, payment descriptor, and business information. Ask the platform where appropriate. Do not guess or name an unrelated company.
Can I complain anonymously?
The complaint rules require truthful identity and contact information, and the authority may ask for identity proof. Reporting channels may have different handling rules, but a report should not be confused with a consumer complaint.
What happens if the merchant refuses mediation?
Mediation cannot be forced under the ordinary complaint process. Preserve the record and consider another route identified in the notice, such as a consumer association, agreed arbitration, or court with qualified advice.
Can I file the same dispute repeatedly?
Repeated identical submissions do not create a stronger case and may be rejected or consolidated. Correct a genuine missing fact, follow the case notice, and use the appropriate next remedy.
Disclaimer: This guide provides general consumer-process information, not legal advice. Jurisdiction, acceptance, mediation, limitation periods, evidence, and available remedies depend on current law and the competent authority. Seek qualified advice for a binding legal strategy.
Sources
- National 12315 Platform — https://www.12315.cn/
- State Administration for Market Regulation, National 12315 Platform service overview — https://www.samr.gov.cn/xw/sj/art/2023/art_b151387e84ce443faa5361e61971cbda.html
- State Administration for Market Regulation, Market Supervision Complaint and Report Handling Measures — https://www.samr.gov.cn/zw/zfxxgk/fdzdgknr/fgs/art/2026/art_e4d03a20c0fd49769e408c7bf3791ff5.html
- State Administration for Market Regulation, Regulation on the Implementation of the Consumer Rights Protection Law — https://www.samr.gov.cn/zw/zfxxgk/fdzdgknr/bgt/art/2024/art_0aea188276a44f0baf940ab95ee00e0a.html
Sources checked 4 October 2026.
