The Shanghai Consumer Council received 2,479 complaints regarding online shopping during the recent annual shopping spree period, with clothing, telecommunications products, and homewares topping the grievance list, it said yesterday.

The number of complaints between November 11 and 17, however, saw a drop of 5.4 percent from the same period last year.

Businesses and e-commerce platforms used various promotional activities and discounts to lure consumers, but complicated rules and hidden conditions led to many consumer feeling duped and hence the complaints, the council noted.

Some consumers complained that they were promised gifts in exchange for making early bookings or pre-payments, but these were either not delivered or not honored.

The terms of many promotions were not transparent, according to the council.

Some businesses promised the “lowest” prices on November 11, but a number of shoppers complained that the prices on the day were actually higher than before.

Other shoppers griped about unpaid refunds, opaque discount rules, random order cancellations and product quality flaws.

Not everything was negative. On the bright side, there was a decrease in complaints concerning delayed delivery, broken products and missing parcels from the same period last year, the council said.