Price tag@599 yuan but dares to sell at@1699 yuan? A year after Woodpecker was exposed by@315, is "fleecing customers" still going on? | 5D Investigation

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Text | “5D Investigation” Column Zhang Jun

In 2025, CCTV’s March 15th evening show exposed the chaos in the country’s largest home appliance repair platform, Zhumu Niao.

At that time, Zhumu Niao issued an apology statement saying, “Abandon public relations, admit there are problems in the entire system, and promise to disclose rectification progress and accept all criticism.”

Now, a year later, the repair chaos previously exposed still occurs on the Zhumu Niao platform.

Recently, consumers reported that a 599-yuan old model gas stove was quoted at a sky-high price of 1,699 yuan by Zhumu Niao repair technicians, with staff even openly saying they had sold tens of thousands of units; another consumer wanted to repair a chipped tile but was instead damaged by an unprofessional Zhumu Niao technician, and neither the platform nor the technician was willing to compensate.

Chairman Wang Guowei once said, “Let users clearly and transparently consume.” Now, this statement has undoubtedly backfired.

Old Model Gas Stove Sold at High Price

Ms. Huang (pseudonym) told the “5D Investigation” column that she experienced price gouging when using Zhumu Niao for gas stove repairs.

According to her description, in February this year, she contacted Zhumu Niao to schedule a technician to repair her gas stove. After the technician arrived, citing the long usage period, he recommended replacing the stove. The technician first suggested a Supor gas stove priced at 1,699 yuan, then lowered the price to 1,300 yuan.

Under the technician’s recommendation, she temporarily agreed to replace the stove, and he went to fetch the product. However, during this time, her landlord searched online and found the same product at a lower price, so she requested to cancel the replacement. The technician said the product had already been shipped, and the return process was complicated, but then he proactively lowered the price again to 1,100 yuan.

Considering that the technician had already visited twice and that returning the product was inconvenient, she agreed to the replacement. But after the replacement, she and her landlord verified with Supor’s official customer service that the model was S16, launched in 2020 and now discontinued, with a retail price of only 599 yuan before discontinuation.

Zhumu Niao sold the discontinued product, originally priced over 500 yuan, at a high price of 1,100 yuan, which she found unacceptable and felt she had been “ripped off.”

After reporting to Zhumu Niao customer service, the initial solution was a 50-yuan voucher. What made her angrier was that the manager at the Zhumu Niao outlet was arrogant when verifying the situation, saying, “The official can’t tell you the actual price; we’ve sold tens of thousands of this gas stove.”

She believes this is a typical repair trick of Zhumu Niao—selling old models at a discount to make consumers think it’s a promotion, while the real price of the product is very low. By clearing inventory of old models at high prices, Zhumu Niao makes huge profits.

She requested a refund of 500 yuan from Zhumu Niao, but after multiple complaints, the platform finally agreed to refund 400 yuan. “I used Zhumu Niao for repairs often before, and the technician seemed honest, so I didn’t think much,” she said. After this incident, her impression of Zhumu Niao has greatly worsened, and she warned friends to beware of scams.

Tile Damage, Responsibility Denied and No Compensation

Another consumer encountered unprofessional repair work on tiles by Zhumu Niao technicians, which resulted in all the tiles being damaged.

Mr. Wang (pseudonym) told the “5D Investigation” that in January this year, he scheduled a technician to repair four tiles with hollowing and lifting at the cross joints. Unexpectedly, the technician was unprofessional—using a suction cup to lift the tiles, causing all four to crack and become unusable.

These tiles were part of the developer’s turnkey home, and after the incident, the technician took the broken tiles to various markets searching for matching replacements, but all found tiles had too much color difference for him to accept. “The color difference is too big; I can’t accept patching the living room.”

He then contacted a tile customizer, who quoted a mold opening fee of 1,500 yuan, with each tile costing 100 yuan plus shipping, totaling nearly 2,000 yuan. Zhumu Niao rejected this quote. Currently, the platform and technician cannot match the original color tiles, and without restoring the original look or compensation, the case is deadlocked.

He believes both the platform and the technician are responsible. “The platform’s solution is just to find four more tiles; if you’re not satisfied, forget it. The technician takes any job, repairs if possible, and if not, damages and no compensation.”

The incident happened during the Spring Festival, and missing four tiles made his holiday stressful. After multiple complaints, Zhumu Niao only offered 300 yuan compensation, which he found unacceptable.

Repeated Problems? Experts Say: Need to Increase Penalties for Violations

It is worth noting that the chaos at Zhumu Niao has been ongoing for a long time. In the 2025 CCTV March 15th evening show, Zhumu Niao’s high-price repair issues were exposed. In response, Zhumu Niao issued an apology that night, stating, “Abandon public relations, accept sunlight scrutiny, admit there are problems in the entire system, and promise to disclose rectification progress and accept all criticism.”

However, as of now, the repair tricks exposed in the 2025 CCTV show still occur on Zhumu Niao. On the Black Cat Complaint platform, Zhumu Niao has received nearly 9,705 complaints, approaching ten thousand. Complaints about damaged items, overcharging, poor service, and unprofessional technicians are common.

On Zhumu Niao’s official website, the recruitment criteria for repair engineers are: aged 18-50, healthy, willing to work in repair and cleaning industries, diligent, with some hands-on skills, emphasizing timeliness and service awareness. There is no clear requirement for professional repair skills, which may explain why many consumers doubt the professionalism of the technicians.

Gao Chengyuan, Deputy Secretary-General of the Guangdong Social Policy Research Association, told “5D Investigation” that consumers facing high prices and chaotic repairs should follow the principle of “evidence first, multi-channel pressure.” First, keep records—request written quotes before repair, record videos during the process, and retain payment and communication records. Second, use a combination of “platform + supervision + public opinion”: formally complain to platform customer service and demand a response within a deadline; if unresolved, report to 12315 or local market regulators, and expose on public platforms like Black Cat Complaint. For cases involving large sums or property loss, consumers can claim three times compensation under the Consumer Rights Protection Law, and seek legal remedies if necessary.

He believes that the superficial rectification of Zhumu Niao reflects deeper regulatory issues in platform economy. Regulation should focus on three areas: first, break the “light-asset” refuge, clarify the platform’s joint responsibility for technician qualification review, training, and service quality, rather than just a “cooperation” label; second, establish full-process digital supervision of repair services, requiring platforms to connect to government oversight systems for traceability of quotes, repairs, parts, and after-sales; third, increase penalties for violations—fines, delisting, and operational restrictions. Industry associations should also promote standard pricing and parts traceability to reduce “big repair for small issues” arbitrage. The platform itself must rebuild its business model—shifting from commission-driven to service quality-oriented—otherwise, any reform will only be superficial crisis management.

Public information shows that Zhumu Niao was founded in 2014, with Wang Guowei as its legal representative and chairman. Wang Guowei previously worked in home appliance repair and established Zhumu Niao to build a nationwide repair network. Its website claims, “Official home repair, choose Zhumu Niao,” and “More formal after-sales, more professional staff, more standardized processes, better service.” Wang Guowei once said he would lead Zhumu Niao to explore and establish industry standards and norms, striving for transparent consumption and dignified earnings for technicians. Now, his and the company’s promises have clearly been broken.

Additionally, Zhumu Niao, once considered the largest home appliance repair platform in China, attempted an IPO in Hong Kong. It submitted a prospectus on January 29, 2024, which expired six months later on July 29; then, on September 30, 2024, it refiled, which again expired six months later on March 30, 2025.

Since the CCTV March 15th exposure, Zhumu Niao has not reapplied for an IPO, indicating its listing process is currently on hold. With ongoing platform chaos and no effective rectification, the market likely lacks confidence in its re-listing prospects.