Since the opening of Costco’s Shenzhen flagship store on January 12, it has become a popular holiday destination for Hong Kong residents traveling north, with over 15,000 Hong Kong residents registering as Costco members.
However, recently some consumers in Shenzhen have complained about buying rotten meat at Costco and facing difficulties in getting refunds, raising concerns about the supermarket’s quality control and management. Many complaints have surfaced on social media, with reports of long lines of members canceling their cards, which has attracted public attention.
According to a report from Shenzhen News Network, many netizens have posted on social media stating that canceling a Costco membership requires waiting in long lines. Some netizens noted, “It’s easy to open a membership, but hard to cancel it.” While membership can be opened online, refunds must be processed in person at a service counter, and the refund is issued in cash.
Many people, due to the store’s distance from their homes, high delivery thresholds, and product homogeneity, have decided to cancel their membership after careful consideration. On September 6, Costco staff responded, explaining that canceling memberships requires manual processing, and sometimes they are too busy to handle all requests. Additionally, refunds can only be processed in person, and refunds are issued in cash only. Customers can collect cancellation materials at the counter, where it’s clearly stated that if a customer is dissatisfied during the validity period of their membership, they can cancel the card, and Costco will refund the full annual membership fee. However, it is noted that after the first cancellation, the customer cannot apply for a new card for six months, and if they cancel again after reapplying, they will not be able to get a new card in the future.
In addition to the difficulty in canceling memberships, customers have also complained about Costco’s quality control and management. Some Shenzhen consumers reported purchasing rotten meat.
In June, a customer from Shenzhen, Mr. Chen, reported experiencing post-purchase difficulties at Costco’s Longhua store. “When I returned home and started repackaging the items, I noticed that some of the pork belly and collar pork smelled distinctly different, with a strong odor of rot.” However, Mr. Chen and Costco could not reach an agreement on the return and refund process. Mr. Chen hoped the store would collect the items from his home and issue a refund online, but the store insisted that the customer must handle the matter in person. Mr. Chen commented, “The return process isn’t even as good as a regular supermarket.”
There are also many complaints on social media. One netizen stated, “I spent 279 yuan on cherries, but out of 10 in the box, 4 were rotten.” Another long-term member mentioned receiving seafood that had thawed during transportation and then refrozen. Another issue raised by netizens was the checkout process. Costco’s Shenzhen store does not have self-checkout options, and cardholders must check out in person, which often leads to long lines at the checkout.