Ask the price before home repair, vehicle inspection or renovation work begins, and watch the work from beside the worker

Cost

Free. Before work starts, ask about the charges and which parts will be replaced, and photograph the quote or have it sent in writing. After the repair, get the repair record and the invoice, and keep the old parts. You also have to stand by for an hour or two. The hard part is staying and watching the whole time.

What you get

Home appliance repair businesses must state the charges, quality standards, warranty period and complaint phone number for their services and parts. They must give the consumer a repair service record and a fee invoice, and fill in the repair items and details truthfully. They may not list repair items that do not exist, exaggerate or forge them, may not report faulty parts that are not faulty, and may not deliberately replace parts that work normally. In serious cases the fine is up to 30,000 CNY. All businesses must display clear prices, may not add charges beyond the marked price, and may not collect any fee that is not marked. Luring customers with a low price and billing a high one, and fake price markdowns, are price fraud. A business must indicate the service items, content, price and pricing method in a prominent way, and may not make false or misleading claims (China)

Notes

If you were overcharged, call 12315 first. Penalties are imposed by the commerce and market-regulation departments, and you don't have to sue on your own. This is graded B because the rules are official, but there is no figure for how much you save by watching, and it relies mainly on experience. Asking the price, keeping the record and keeping the old parts should be done the same way for everyone, without judging by appearance. The home appliance measure covers only appliance repair; for vehicle inspection and renovation, refer to the clear-pricing rules and their implementing regulations. The higher-level Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law (消费者权益保护法) also states these two rights. Article 8 says you have the right to require the business to explain the content, specifications and fees of a service. Article 10 says you have the right to refuse forced transactions.

Evidence grade

B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.

Sources

1. 商务部 (2012). 家电维修服务业管理办法（商务部令 2012 年第 7 号，第五、七、九、十四条）. http://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2012/content_2231695.htm
2. 市场监管总局 (2022). 明码标价和禁止价格欺诈规定（市场监管总局令第 56 号，第五、八、十九条）. http://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2022/content_5699926.htm
3. 国务院 (2024). 消费者权益保护法实施条例（国务院令第 778 号，第九、十条）. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202403/content_6940159.htm
4. 全国人大常委会 (2013 修正). 消费者权益保护法（第八、十条）：「消费者有权根据商品或者服务的不同情况，要求经营者提供……服务的内容、规格、费用等有关情况」「有权拒绝经营者的强制交易行为」. https://flk.npc.gov.cn/detail?id=2c909fdd678bf17901678bf7670606ef（国家法律法规数据库）

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 8, tip 27. This section describes legal rules, mostly mainland China’s. It is general information, not legal advice; for your own case, talk to a lawyer. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer