Free Perks? Jail Perks!

Free Perks? Jail Perks!

Recently, I came across an outrageous piece of news. A woman in Shanghai carried out a real - life version of the "free - riding survival guide." She managed to stay in hotels, eat takeout, and get clothes all for free by exploiting loopholes. She lived it up for a month, but in the end, she was taken away by the police!

This woman's tactics were "textbook - level." When staying in hotels, she either claimed there were bugs in the bed or faked an allergic reaction. She even prepared dead crickets in advance as "tools for framing." 

When ordering takeout, she would nitpick relentlessly, saying things like the food was burnt or there were foreign objects in it. To keep the peace, merchants had no choice but to issue refunds. 

When it came to buying clothes, she took full advantage of the seven - day no - questions - asked return policy. She didn't even remove the price tags, and would return the clothes right after wearing them. But she forgot that what goes around comes around, and her cunning tricks directly set off the "alarm bells" of the law.

According to Article 293 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China, the following acts constitute the crime of "picking quarrels and provoking troubles" and may be punished with fixed - term imprisonment of not more than five years, criminal detention, or public surveillance: beating others at will; chasing, intercepting, abusing, or intimidating others with circumstances being flagrant; forcibly seizing, willfully damaging, or occupying public or private property with circumstances being serious; or creating disturbances in public places, causing serious disruptions to public order.

Regarding the woman we mentioned at the beginning, she made multiple malicious complaints against merchants, forcing them to "foot the bill" for her accommodation and meals. This seriously disrupted the operations of the merchants, which falls under the category of "forcibly seizing, willfully damaging, or occupying public or private property with circumstances being serious."

So, it's important to understand relevant legal regulations and clearly define the boundaries between "legal" and "illegal" behavior.

First of all, when dealing with consumer disputes, if you truly encounter problems with product quality or are dissatisfied with the service, you should calmly communicate with the merchants and keep evidence such as chat records and shopping receipts. You can also call 12315 for help from the Consumer Association or file complaints through formal channels. However, do not make malicious reports or repeatedly harass the merchants.

Secondly, when surfing the Internet, you need to watch what you say. Avoid fabricating and spreading false information, or engaging in personal attacks and malicious abuse of others.

Finally, pay attention to your behavior in public places. Don't deliberately create disturbances, damage public facilities, or arbitrarily stop vehicles and abuse passers - by just to vent your emotions.

In addition, many platforms and merchants do offer preferential policies to attract customers, but these rules are not meant to be used as "tools for freeloading." Don't think you can get away with your petty trick. In the era of the Internet, big data records everything! Once you cross the legal line, you may face fines and detention at the least, or even imprisonment at the worst.