Spending free time petting cats and dogs has become a hobby for many. Recently, some businesses have opened pet adoption centers in shopping malls with high foot traffic, advertising "free adoption" or "0 yuan pet adoption," but in reality, they are enticing consumers to "buy pets in installments." Some consumers have reported that after bringing their cats home, they found that the cats were constantly sick, and in the end, they even lost both their cats and their money.
What secrets lie behind the "free pet adoption" scheme? Reporters conducted an investigation to find out.
Case
The cat has been getting sick constantly since being brought home.
To terminate the contract, they had no choice but to buy it out at a high price.
A reporter searched for "pet adoption" on a social media platform and found numerous posts from adopters seeking help on how to resolve the issue if they no longer wished to continue with installment payments. The reporter then contacted two adopters with similar experiences.
Last September, Ms. Wang from Changsha adopted a golden chinchilla from a pet adoption center that claimed to offer "free adoption." After inquiring at the store, she was told that while the cat was free, she would need to purchase cat food and supplies in installments, paying 399 yuan per month for 16 months. Ms. Wang thought the terms were acceptable and signed a contract. The contract stipulated that returning the cat after 7 days would incur a 3,000 yuan penalty.
After raising the pet for a while, Ms. Wang learned online that these "free adoptions" might be disguised as "cat loans" that extract exorbitant default fees. Worried that not paying would affect her credit score, she didn't dare confront the seller.
Regarding the pet supplies sold by the seller, Ms. Wang said, "For the same price, I can buy imported mid-range brands or domestic high-end brands of cat food online. Moreover, my cat doesn't like the cat food provided by the seller and has developed a lot of health problems from it." Ms. Wang stated that her cat had ear mites when she first brought it home, and after a month of treatment, it developed ringworm. The seller claimed that such minor illnesses were not within their scope of responsibility.
Afterwards, Ms. Wang, unwilling to continue paying, negotiated with the store manager to buy out the cat. The manager demanded 2600 yuan. Ms. Wang believed that a 25-color golden shaded cat would cost between 500 and 600 yuan on the market and hoped the manager could lower the price, but was refused. Ms. Wang posted about the incident online, but the store threatened to sue her. Ultimately, she bought out the cat for 2600 yuan, above the market price, thus canceling the installment payment plan.
Ms. Zheng had a similar experience with pet adoption. She signed a contract for 258 yuan per month for 18 installments, which could be used to purchase pet supplies from the merchant's online store. However, shortly after bringing the cat home, it began experiencing frequent health problems. Ms. Zheng ended up spending over 5,000 yuan on this. Before signing the contract, the merchant promised a one-month after-sales service period. But during the cat's illness, Ms. Zheng repeatedly contacted the merchant, but they ignored her.
An investigation by reporters revealed that the cat food sold on this online store was priced three times higher than similar products on other e-commerce platforms.
investigation
Multiple pet adoption stores
Attract customers with free or low prices
Recently, a reporter visited two pet adoption agencies in Xiamen posing as a prospective adopter. Outside Kangmei Pet Store (Jimei IOI flagship store), a prominent sign read "Free Pet Adoption Program," with the word "Free" particularly eye-catching. The sign also listed adoption requirements, such as a stable income and a Sesame Credit score of at least 550.
When the reporter inquired at the store, they discovered that the so-called "0 yuan adoption" was not truly free. The staff explained that adopting a pet requires a monthly savings plan, with costs ranging from 198 to 598 yuan depending on the breed, with common amounts being 298 or 398 yuan. Payments are made in 12 installments, deducted monthly by Alipay. This money can be used for in-store purchases or pet baths. The staff explained, "A bag of cat food costs 168 yuan and lasts a month and a half. Add to that a monthly bath and some supplements, and the monthly cost of raising a cat is about 300 to 400 yuan."
The store has about 20 transparent display cases, housing kittens and puppies of popular breeds such as Golden Shaded, Bichon Frise, and Cream Highland Terrier. The reporter noticed that the cheapest Golden Shaded kitten in the store has a fixed price of 1500 yuan. However, if you participate in the "Free Pet Plan," you need to recharge 198 yuan per month, payable in 12 installments, totaling over 2300 yuan, which is 1.5 times the fixed price.
Regarding pet after-sales service, the store clerk stated that the pet has a one-month warranty period. If the pet dies during the warranty period, it can be replaced free of charge; if it exceeds one month, the pet owner will be responsible.
When asked about the contract, the salesperson was reluctant to let the reporter see it, insisting that the contract was straightforward and consistent with the description. They also stated that if the reporter didn't want to continue with installments after signing the contract, they would have to buy the pet outright at a fixed price, after which the contract would be automatically unbound; however, the adopted pet could not be returned.
In addition, the reporter visited the upstairs cat adoption center (Wanda Plaza branch). According to the staff, the store uses a "low-cost adoption" model. Depending on the breed of the pet, adopters need to pay different amounts for the "low-cost adoption," with a fixed monthly payment of 500 to 600 yuan, paid in 18 installments. When the reporter asked about the difference between this installment adoption and a fixed-price purchase, the staff repeatedly emphasized that the installment adoption model is mainly to prevent abandonment. If a cat encounters an accident or unfortunately goes missing, the adopter can use half of the "fixed-price" price to choose another cat in the store. For example, the "low-cost adoption" price for a long-haired golden shaded cat is 688 yuan, while the "fixed-price" price is 5888 yuan. It should be noted that with the "low-cost adoption" model, regardless of the cat's condition, the adopter must continue to pay all installments, and the money already paid is non-refundable and can only be used in the store until it is used up.
Industry voices
Forced food purchases are unreasonable and may harm a pet's health.
Regarding the "free pet adoption" offer, Ms. Jiang, who works in the pet supplies industry, stated that it is crucial to first verify the pet's health condition before adopting. To ensure professional and accurate examination results, it is best to have a qualified veterinarian conduct the examination.
She also believes that it's unreasonable for businesses to force consumers to buy their cat food. Different cats have different constitutions, taste preferences, and stages of development, so the suitable cat food will naturally vary. This could lead consumers to unknowingly spend money on products unsuitable for their cats, potentially harming their pets' health.
Legal Perspective
If the seller maliciously delivers a sick pet to the adopter, the seller has the right to terminate the contract.
Ms. Zheng provided reporters with the "Installment Payment Agreement" she signed with the merchant. Xu Lili, a lawyer from Fujian Xunming Law Firm, reviewed the agreement and believes that if a merchant advertises "free adoption" but fails to clearly inform consumers of the substantial installment payment obligations, this behavior likely constitutes fraud. In this situation, consumers can file a lawsuit to have the contract rescinded. After the contract is rescinded, the consumer only needs to return the pet cat to the merchant and will no longer need to make any payments.
Furthermore, once the contract is established, the seller is obligated to deliver a healthy pet to the consumer. If the seller maliciously delivers a sick pet, rendering the fundamental purpose of the contract impossible to achieve, the adopter has the right to terminate the contract.
Xu Lili reminds consumers to carefully read the contract terms before signing, paying particular attention to key aspects such as payment terms, pet health guarantees, and liability for breach of contract. For any unclear or ambiguous clauses, it is essential to communicate with the seller promptly for clarification and a clear explanation. Do not sign blindly to avoid unnecessary legal disputes.
