Besides the gold and jade of Shangdao coffee

The joining style of Shangdao Coffee seems to fundamentally determine the dilemma faced by Shangdao coffee consumers in safeguarding their rights. The beneficiaries behind this brand do not have a unified brand awareness and business philosophy. They are more like alternative consumers of Shangdao Coffee, but they consume the brand value of this brand and abuse this consumption right indiscriminately.

Wen Lao Ma

On May 22, Mr. Zhang, a consumer in Beijing, complained about Shangdao Coffee to the "Tiantian 315" section of the Central people's Radio. He said he was fed up with it.

Get rid of the boss

In June 2011, Mr. Zhang applied for a stored value card at the Shangdao Coffee Shop (also known as Shangdao Coffee Shop) in the Grand Mercure Xidan Hotel. According to the promise in the store, consumers deposited 5000 yuan in the Shangdao Coffee Store, which can be used as 8000 yuan. It is equivalent to a discount of 3000 yuan for consumers, almost a 6. 3% discount. The brand loudness of the above island coffee should be very attractive. Mr. Zhang applied for a 5000 yuan stored value card for Shangdao coffee consumption for this discount, which is expected to be the first step in annoyance.

Mr. Zhang Shangdao Coffee Xuannei spent a total of about 500 yuan, which was only 10% of the amount deposited. It was not that Mr. Zhang was "lazy" not to spend, but that the Shangdao Coffee Xuannei shop was fishing for three days and drying the net for two days, closed in the name of "decoration" in October 2011, then opened for a few days, and then closed again until Mr. Zhang complained to the media half a year later. This is the second step of annoyance.

Excluding the book figure of 3000 yuan for "discount", Mr. Zhang still has 4500 yuan of real gold and silver in the "Shangdao Coffee stored value Card", but Mr. Zhang is in no hurry at first. Mr. Zhang believes that Shangdao Coffee is a "well-known brand" with credibility. Shangdao Coffee is still a chain brand. There are more than 100 stores in Beijing with Shangdao Coffee signs. As the saying goes, "the East is not bright in the West". Stored value card consumption should be protected by "chain".

Mr. Zhang was wrong. In the next six months, no store with a Shangdao coffee sign was willing to accept his consumption with this stored value card, and the worry began to turn to doubt. Mr. Zhang naturally thought of looking for the store's "boss", the Beijing branch of Shanghai Shangdao Coffee and Food Co., Ltd., for an explanation, and this "statement" aroused anger.

After many phone negotiations, the sister Liu of Shangdao Beijing Company asked Mr. Zhang to go to Xuan Nei Coffee Shop on the island (the building has been empty), on the grounds that they have no direct management responsibility in the relationship of "joining". Shanghai Shangdao Coffee Food Co., Ltd. (headquarters) said that: the Shanghai region and the Beijing area are not related, and there is not an entire headquarters.

The reply given to Mr. Zhang by Shanghai Shangdao Coffee Food Co., Ltd. is contradictory to his own declaration, and the words "Shangdao Coffee China headquarters" are prominently marked on the Shangdao Coffee official home page. Click on the "subordinate branches" column on the home page of Shangdao Coffee headquarters, there are the words "Shangdao Group branches", a total of nine branches: Shanghai Puxi, Pudong two branches, Beijing branch.

Mr. Zhang found the media to complain, the reporter interviewed twice, got the relevant statement is even more bizarre.

In the first interview, Miss Liu of Shangdao Coffee Beijing Branch said: first, Shangdao Coffee is a "franchise model" and the company "does not interfere" with the behavior of franchisees; second, Mr. Zhang's stored value card is a "private act" of Shangdao Coffee, which has nothing to do with the company.

In another follow-up interview, the manager of Shangdao Coffee Beijing Management Company (called Beijing Branch on the home page of Shangdao Coffee headquarters) said: Shangdao Coffee has more than 100 stores in Beijing, all of which are franchises. Shangdao Coffee has no direct stores in Beijing. In other words, the actions of the more than a hundred stores in Beijing with the words Shangdao Coffee have nothing to do with Shangdao Coffee and Food Co., Ltd. Mr. Zhang's 4500 yuan is worth nothing.

The media has exposed many cases of conflict in the consumption of stored value cards, which are basically concentrated in fitness, beauty salons and other industries. On January 11, 2011, the high-end fitness brand company, the five direct stores of Beijing Bluebird Fitness, suddenly closed their doors for "rectification", which immediately triggered complaints from members. Some members held stored value cards as high as 100000 yuan. Bluebird Fitness announced the resumption of business a few days later. Bluebird Fitness at least reflects the attitude of a responsible brand store. A large number of unknown small brands disappeared after applying for stored value cards for their "members", and some have been investigated for fraud.

Shangdao Coffee, whose size and popularity are much larger than that of Bluebird Fitness, deals with the conflict of stored value card consumption, just like miscellaneous small gyms and hairdressing parlors. The reason is basically a logic: the franchised Shangdao Coffee Company is a "hands-off boss", ignoring the behavior of joining stores and only collecting franchise fees.

On Shangdao Coffee's official website, "Shangdao News-Special Topics on Trademark Law", a "statement on stored value cards" published in December 2007 said: Shanghai Shangdao Coffee headquarters has set up a "one-card stored value card" system. Consumers can hold cards to spend in all stores across the country, franchisees are not authorized to issue stored value cards, and Shangdao Coffee is not responsible for conflicts caused by the consumption of stored value cards made by individual franchisees.

This "one-card stored value card" system shows that Shangdao Coffee has set up a complete official system including hardware and software from top to bottom in terms of stored value card consumption. However, consumers have no way to find out whether the stored value card handled by the store with the Shangdao coffee sign is the "main house" that the media is marrying or the "mistress" who is sneaking around. At least four years ago, the Shangdao Coffee Company found franchisees playing tricks on stored-value cards, and the announcement four years ago today seems to be more about protecting itself than worrying about consumers.

The "service process" published on the Shangdao Coffee official website indicates that there is a "monthly visit service". Since it is a monthly visit, it means a system of regular implementation, according to the problems found during the monthly visit, as shown in this process, the company has to go through a set of feedback, rectification, special treatment, and store implementation links, and Shangdao obviously does not want to give people the image of leaving people behind in the public system. The credibility of a company that gives people the image of abandoning others will be greatly reduced. In Mr. Zhang's case, Shangdao publicly stated that he did not care.

"Criminal record" is repeated

Mr. Zhang's experience at Xuannei in Shangdao Beijing is not a case of consumption conflict between Shangdao coffee and consumers. According to consumer complaints publicly disclosed by the media, it can be described as a repeated "criminal record".

First, run away with money.

Also at Shangdao Coffee Beijing Chaonnei, Mr. Qi issued a stored-value consumption card of 1000 yuan two years ago and spent it only once, and the remaining more than 900 yuan, like Mr. Zhang's more than 4500 yuan, "disappeared" this year.

Ms. Li from Jinan, Shandong Province, applied for a 1000 yuan stored value card at Shangdao Cafe on Chaoshan Street in Jinan in 2011, and the balance could no longer be used this year. Ms. Li got the answer that the boss was replaced, and future generations ignored previous accounts and could neither spend nor get a refund. Also in Jinan, the 6000 yuan stored value card issued by Ms. Xie in 2009 can no longer be used this year for the same reason. The two consumers in Jinan were lucky and, accompanied by media reporters, negotiated to continue to use the balance on the card. I am afraid this is due to the fact that the storefront is still there, and the subsequent boss has some scruples about the reputation of the storefront.

In 2008, a woman in Shanghai complained to the media that she had issued a 1000 yuan stored value card at the Shangdao coffee store on Yan'an West Road, which was closed in March 2009, complaining to the Shangdao coffee headquarters without success.

In August 2011, Ms. Mu of Qinhuangdao City applied for a "membership card" at Shangdao Cafe near Jinjie Shopping Mall and deposited cash twice, leaving more than 1400 yuan left. the store was first called "decoration" around February this year, and then closed, even the phone was shut down.

In 2010, Ms. Liu of Tianjin applied for a stored value card at Shangdao Coffee Xin'an Store. By August 2011, there was still more than 750 yuan left in the card. One day, Ms. Li found that the storefront she had gone to spend two weeks ago was empty without any prior notice. Ms. Liu hurriedly complained to the media, and the "relevant person in charge" of Shangdao Coffee in Tianjin replied: Shangdao Coffee Xin'an Store is a franchise store, and the manager's run is a "single store behavior". Shangdao Coffee is not responsible.

Diou Group, which also has a chain franchise business under Shangdao Coffee, explained to the outside world: if you handle the membership card of Shangdao Coffee Direct Store, you can consume it in other stores, but if you handle Shangdao Coffee franchise store or escrow store, there is no guarantee.

Judging from the case of Mr. Zhang in Beijing, the so-called "Shangdao Coffee Store" is probably just a concept. There are more than 500 chain stores across the country, of which 1/5, 1/5 of the stores in Beijing do not have a "direct store." where is the "direct camp" of Shangdao Coffee?

Second, there are many knockoffs.

The "Blue Mountain Coffee" produced in Jamaica is the most famous in the world. Shangdao Coffee, which mainly does business for high-end people, naturally operates this kind of world famous brand product, but it is a knockoff.

In September 2010, a CCTV reporter saw Blue Mountain Coffee sold at Shangdao Coffee Shop in Ganjiakou, Beijing, 30 yuan per cup for Hot Blue Mountain and 40 yuan per cup for Ice Blue Mountain. A CCTV reporter immediately interviewed the Jamaican ambassador and got the reply that Jamaica does not sell raw coffee beans at all, and that even cooked products exported must bear the Blue Mountain Coffee logo of the Jamaican Coffee Industry Bureau. It is said that the cost of a real Blue Mountain Coffee is already more than 30 yuan, and the "Blue Mountain" sold on Shangdao Coffee is not that Blue Mountain.

In response to the reporter's query that the word "Blue Mountain Coffee" in the Shangdao coffee shop was marked with the word Jamaica, the Shangdao Beijing branch pushed it to the Shanghai headquarters, while the Shanghai headquarters defended it in every way. There are "self-made Jamaican flavor", "franchise stores did it privately", and so on. Due to questions from the media, canned coffee is now sold on Shangdao Coffee's official website as: Shangdao Coffee (Blue Mountain flavor), Blue Mountain is a ride.

In August 2011, the Bureau of Industry and Commerce of Huangpu District of Shanghai seized a batch of fake "Weijia" pepper in a Shangdao coffee shop in Chuansha, Pudong. The real price of the black pepper is as high as 75 yuan per 500 grams, while the fake price is less than 20 yuan. The Shangdao Coffee headquarters in Shanghai said it had "no knowledge" of the matter.

This kind of tampering with a bottle of pepper is similar to the unscrupulous snack stalls and unscrupulous stalls on the street, where even the small pepper coffee shops on the island do not hesitate to bend over, not to mention the authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee which costs 2000 yuan per pound.

Third, bullies deceive guests.

In February 2011, Miss Xie entered the left bank store of Beijing Shangdao Coffee and sent an email on the Internet free of charge. The clerk told Miss Xie that if she stayed for more than 15 minutes, she would charge 20 yuan per capita for the minimum consumption. Xie said that she sat for a total of 12 minutes. I sent an email and ordered a cup of 25 yuan jasmine tea. when I checked out, I found that the amount was 40 yuan, and the receipt indicated that jasmine tea was 25 yuan, with a minimum consumption of 15 yuan. Miss Xie argued with the store and complained to the Haidian Bureau of Industry and Commerce. The shop owner's explanation was that our store was "the lowest" among the branches of Shangdao in Beijing.

In August 2011, a friend of Ms. Han in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, invited her to Shangdao Coffee near the Wynn Building. Ms. Han and Ms. Sheng were invited, but they did not know that there were two stores near Wynn Building with island coffee. The two ladies walked into the Shangdao Coffee Wynn Building. After sitting down, the clerk offered each of the two ladies a cup of boiled water. When they contacted their friends in another Shangdao Coffee Shop to leave. I was told by the shop assistant that the plain boiled water was not given away for free, and that each person had to charge 20 yuan according to the minimum consumption. The two ladies complained to the media, and the store explained that it was the "unified regulation" of coffee on the island.

It seems that in the minimum consumption, compulsory consumption is not a "single store behavior", not all parties join the vassal separatist regime. Another set is the overall behavior of Shangdao Coffee Company.

Fourth, the wine is ferocious.

In July 2009, Mr. Yin of Shanghai met with his female netizens at Shangdao Cafe in Yaxin Life Square. Mr. Yin said he considered Shangdao Coffee as a well-known brand, so he went there at ease. The consumption of the first meeting shocked Mr. Yin. The bill was 3048 yuan and could not be swiped by credit card. Accompanied by the shop assistant, he went to the bank teller machine to withdraw cash. There was no order list. After waiting for the invoice for a month, Mr. Yin repeatedly asked for two handwritten white notes, including two XX cabbages worth 168 yuan, the cheapest fresh juice 35 yuan, and at least 60 yuan for a fruit plate. Mr. Yin suspected that the tavern had joined hands with the shopkeeper and complained to the media.

On June 13, 2011, Mr. Li and Miss Qing met through an online chat in Shanghai. Miss Qing made an appointment with Mr. Li to Wenshui Road Shangdao Coffee Shop by phone. When he checked out, Mr. Li was so shocked by the bill that he "spent" 20, 000 yuan, spent all his cash, and swiped his card for 19000 yuan to get away. Without resentment, Mr. Li called the police, and the police identified the suspected fraud and handed it over to the procuratorial organ for prosecution.

Prosecutors found out that Wenshui Road Shangdao coffee shop manager Chen hired "Xiaotian", "Xiaotao" (on the run) and other organizations to take the victim into the store for consumption, fraudulently imitating high-end wine with cheap wine.

Chen's personal notes produced by the prosecution show that from June 1 to 18, 2011, such consumption totaled more than 930000 yuan and paid more than 630000 yuan to Xiao Tao and others. As only some of the victims reported the case, the amount of credit card consumption that can constitute a complete evidence chain is only more than 30,000 yuan.

Chen confessed that wine care organizer "Xiaotao" and so on need to pay 50, 000 yuan in field fee and 35000 yuan bonus and other fees to Shangdao Coffee Wen Waterway store every month. The court sentenced Chen to seven months in prison and a fine of 20,000 yuan. It is generally believed that the sentence is related to the final amount of fraud. For various reasons, the victims who did not report the case inadvertently "tolerated" Chen and others.

All these are inseparable from Shangdao Coffee in the eyes of the media and the public. as a well-known brand and a relatively large chain, it is impossible for the public and the media to completely separate the behavior of each store from the image of the company.

Shangdao Coffee's casual and almost frivolous remarks and detached attitude after these events make it difficult to compare with the self-proclaimed "Shangdao Coffee is a famous coffee chain in China." it is famous for running and managing coffee chain business "," Shangdao Coffee opened its first shop in the bustling streets of Hainan, China in 1997, and so far there are more than 500 chain stores all over China. It has become one of the most popular coffee chains in China "and so on.

Join the style

The word "join" is brought into full play by Shangdao Coffee from connotation to denotation, and it has become the standard style of Shangdao Coffee. Shangdao Coffee uses the raw material of "joining" to weave an invulnerable iron cloth shirt and cast a bulletproof golden bell shield. whenever there is a negative conflict with consumers, involving responsibility, compensation, and taking money, this "joining" becomes a panacea and wipes wherever you feel uncomfortable. It is Shangdao Coffee (Shangdao Coffee headquarters, to be exact) that is protected, and it is consumers who suffer.

Of course, there is another crucial aspect of joining. Joining is the core means for Shangdao Coffee Company to make money, and it is the cash cow of Shangdao Coffee.

The franchise conditions announced on the official website of Shanghai Shangdao Catering chain Management Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Shangdao Coffee, are listed as follows: 500m2 of business area, and stores in Shanghai charge a franchise fee of 180000 yuan (franchise for 3 years). Non-provincial capitals charge 250000 yuan, medium-sized cities charge 200000 yuan, and annual franchise royalties of 30, 000 yuan (Shanghai) or 27000 yuan (non-local) are paid. Plus decoration design, training, decoration materials and other fees, franchisees need to pay an one-time fee ranging from 460000 yuan to 530000 yuan to the Shangdao headquarters.

In other words, regardless of the profit of running water fees such as material supply, the annual fixed fee charged by Shangdao Coffee headquarters from a store is 60, 000 yuan (Shanghai) or 100000 yuan (non-provincial capital cities). Take Beijing as an example, more than 100 Shangdao coffee shops pay more than 10 million yuan in franchise fees and franchise fees every year, charging huge franchise fees and brand use fees, and do not have to worry about any affairs.

Among the fees for joining Shangdao Coffee, there is a "deposit" of 100000 yuan. In other words, even if the joining owner (store manager) leaves without saying goodbye, the Shangdao Coffee headquarters still has nothing to lose. 100000 yuan happens to be a fixed fee paid by a store for a year, or a deposit.

This is obvious that in order to prevent the franchisee owners from running ahead of time, Shangdao Coffee headquarters collected a deposit of 100,000 yuan before the franchisee opened. This deposit can protect the interests of Shangdao headquarters, but when the interests of consumers are infringed by the franchisee, Shangdao Coffee's fan is to avoid on the grounds of joining. Thinking from another angle, if the deposit is used as a compensation fund for consumers 'interests infringed by franchised stores, isn't it a measure responsible for consumers?

Is there a unified management structure behind the brand of Shangdao Coffee? Is there a corporate value system to be proud of?

As early as 2005, the media disclosed that Shangdao Coffee was a de facto "sprinkling" form for its franchisees. In Zhengzhou alone, there were two franchisees, Shangdao Coffee and Diou Coffee, who competed for the same market. Shangdao Coffee Zhengzhou Yousheng South Road Store is the first franchised store of Shangdao Coffee in Zhengzhou. It opened in 2000. The franchise period is 5 years. The first owner changed in 2003 and the third owner changed in 2005. That is, the owner has changed twice within the first franchise period. The shopkeeper admitted that Shangdao Coffee headquarters did not care about the franchised store at all. According to Zhengzhou benefit "best" a join shop owner disclosed, on the island coffee headquarters in four years never visited the shop.

As for the so-called training, guidance, inspections and the like announced by Shangdao Coffee officially to provide franchise stores, at least in 2005, all the franchise stores in Zhengzhou did not see it, which was the main reason why the franchise store owners were disheartened at that time, that is,"like a child without a mother."

It is said that as early as 2000, the eight shareholders of Shangdao Coffee at that time divided their respective "spheres of influence" by drawing lots. For example, the franchised markets of Liaoning, Henan and Jiangsu provinces belonged to Wang Yangfa, a Taiwanese businessman. Interestingly, the princes of the eight parties also derived more "descendants". According to textual research, there were cross-strait coffee, old tree coffee, Fulandi coffee, Miluo coffee, Diou coffee and other famous brands.

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In Mr. Zhang's case, Shangdao also publicly stated that he did not care.

It seems that in terms of minimum consumption and compulsory consumption, it is not a "single store behavior", not a separation of all parties. Another set is the overall behavior of Shangdao Coffee Company.

Of course, there is another crucial aspect to joining. Joining is the core means of profit for Shangdao Coffee Company and the cash cow of Shangdao Coffee.

(Editor: Leo)