Overview

In 2023, a certain brand launched a smart LED light featuring remote dimming and voice control via a mobile app. After purchasing the lights, over 200 consumers nationwide discovered that the app frequently experienced connection failures and control delays. Some lights even suddenly went out during app operations. Consumers contacted the brand’s customer service, who only offered ineffective solutions like “restarting the router” and “uninstalling and reinstalling the app,” refusing to acknowledge the product’s defects. Consumers subsequently formed a rights protection group, collecting evidence such as videos of the malfunction and chat logs, and filed a collective complaint with the 12315 platform. An investigation by market regulators revealed that the brand’s smart lights’ Bluetooth module had compatibility issues, preventing them from reliably connecting to devices and representing a design issue. Ultimately, the brand issued a recall announcement, offering refunds and 200 yuan shopping vouchers to all consumers.

An outdoor LED bulletin board installed in a residential complex in 2023 went black after just eight months due to continuous rainfall. Professional inspections revealed cracking and aging of the screen’s sealant, allowing rainwater to seep into the internal circuitry, causing a short circuit and completely burning out the core driver board. When the homeowners contacted the installation company, they refused repairs, claiming the six-month warranty had expired and that the rainfall was considered force majeure. They offered only a high-priced replacement (offering a price exceeding 70% of the initial installation fee). The community homeowners’ committee, after compiling evidence, discovered that the LED board was purchased from an unqualified, small manufacturer and installed without undergoing IP65 waterproofing testing. They have now joined over 50 other homeowners in filing a complaint with market regulators, demanding the manufacturer assume responsibility for repairs and compensate for lost work time.

In early 2024, a portion of the LED skylight in the atrium of a shopping mall suddenly detached. The falling panel struck Ms. Li, a shopper below, causing a contusion on her arm. An investigation revealed that, due to a tight deadline, the installation contractor failed to use load-bearing brackets as required by the design, relying solely on simple clips for fixation without conducting load tests. Furthermore, after prolonged operation, the skylight’s fixing components experienced metal fatigue due to poor heat dissipation, ultimately causing the detachment. The injured victim’s family is seeking compensation totaling 50,000 yuan from the mall for medical expenses and lost wages. The mall, however, is shifting the blame onto the installation company, leading to a dispute among the three parties. The local housing and construction department has intervened, requiring the mall to conduct a comprehensive investigation of similar facilities for safety hazards.

At the end of 2023, Mr. Wang, a consumer in Hangzhou, reported that after three months of using a certain brand of newly installed LED downlight in his home, his family frequently experienced dry eyes and fatigue. Mr. Wang commissioned a third-party test, which revealed that the downlight had a flicker frequency of only 50Hz, far below the national requirement of “flicker frequency ≥ 120Hz” in the “Limited Values ​​and Energy Efficiency Grades for LED Lighting Products,” making it substandard. Mr. Wang contacted the brand’s after-sales service, but they claimed that “flickering in household lighting is normal” and refused to accept a refund or exchange. Mr. Wang subsequently complained to the 12315 platform. After mediation by regulatory authorities, the brand ultimately replaced the downlight with a compliant one and compensated him for the testing costs of 800 yuan.

A county launched a “Rural Lighting Project” in 2022, purchasing 200 LED streetlights and promising a “luminous decay of no more than 20% within five years.” However, just 18 months later, nearly 100 of the streetlights had significantly decreased in brightness, with some even failing to illuminate properly. The local village committee contacted the operation and maintenance company for inspection, which discovered that the streetlights’ LEDs had aged rapidly due to a heat dissipation design flaw, resulting from long-term high-temperature operation and a luminous decay rate of 45%. The operation and maintenance company claimed that the “supplied LEDs were substandard,” while the manufacturer argued that the operation and maintenance company failed to regularly clean the heat dissipation components as required, with both parties shifting the blame. The county transportation department has summoned both parties, demanding rectification within a specified timeframe, replacing the defective LEDs, and conducting a comprehensive inspection of the remaining streetlights.

In March 2024, Mr. Chen, a Guangdong car owner, purchased a new car of a certain brand. He discovered that the car’s LED headlights frequently fogged up due to water ingress during rainy days, affecting nighttime illumination. Mr. Chen repeatedly visited the 4S dealership for repairs, but the staff refused to repair or replace the car, claiming that “minor fogging of the LED headlights is a normal physical phenomenon and does not affect operation.” Mr. Chen consulted the vehicle’s warranty manual and found that it clearly stated that “water ingress to the headlights is covered by the warranty.” He then complained to the local Consumers Association. The Association investigated and confirmed a quality issue with the headlight’s sealing strip. The 4S dealership ultimately replaced Mr. Chen with new headlights and compensated him with three basic maintenance services.