Consumer complaints to be addressed: official

China's industry and commerce authorities will intensify efforts to protect consumer rights in the next two years in fields that receive the majority of consumer complaints, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce announced on Wednesday.

From September to the end of 2015, consumer complaints in the fields of household appliances, clothing, home furnishing materials, vehicles and the service sector will be priorities for industry and commerce authorities, the authority said in a news briefing.

Yang Hongcan, chief of the administration's consumer rights protection department, said the authority will devote more effort to making it easier for consumers to file complaints in the next two years, including devoting more staff to the 12315 service hotline and opening more online, text messaging and micro blogging channels at local levels.

Yang admitted that platforms for filing complaints to authorities have yet to meet the expectations of consumers, especially during holidays.

The authority will also strengthen its monitoring of the quality of products in those five key areas and increase the frequency of quality checks, he said.

According to the State authority, home appliances have long topped the areas of consumer complaints with more than 300,000 complaints filed since 2012. Meanwhile, problems of improper labeling and poor quality still taint the clothing industry, with more than 55 percent of consumer complaints filed over general merchandise.