Consumer body expects Vatti to keep its promise

Vatti, a Chinese kitchen appliance company, might disappoint customers who were expecting a refund, based on a promise the company made in early June.

As calls mount for the company to do exactly what it promised, even the China Consumer Association on Thursday joined the chorus urging the company to deliver on its promise.

Located in southern China's Zhongshan city, Vatti is an official sponsor of the French soccer team. The company promised a full refund on a range of products purchased in June through online and offline channels, up to a total cost of 79 million yuan ($12 million), if France lifted the World Cup.

Within 30 minutes of announcing the promise, Vatti garnered over 1 million reads on its official WeChat account, along with a flurry of discussions over the refund post on Sina Weibo.

Following France's victory over Croatia in Moscow in the World Cup final, Vatti published a statement on Monday that it would start the refund process, which the company said would take weeks. Vatti saw its share price jump by 4.45 percent to close at 15.25 yuan on Monday morning.

As the whole event has largely increased the company's popularity and boosted its retail business, customers complained about the difficulties they experienced during the refund process.