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The claim made by a German vlogger, Navina Heyden, who published a video questioning the authenticity of products she consumed at the Qingdao International Beer Festival, has been proved by the Qingdao Market Supervision Bureau to be true.In a video she published last month, Navina claimed that she drank two liters of fake “German” beer brand at the Qingdao International Beer Festival this year.She said the beer was sour and had too much water, and she couldn’t feel anything even after drinking more than a liter of the so-called German brand beer.
Furthermore, she said that the “lamb skewers” she ordered didn’t taste like mutton and she had diarrhea the next morning after consuming them.
“They say it's German original beer, but I have never drank this Hofbräu München beer brand before, so I can't say if it's genuine. "I can't tell what kind of meat this is. Maybe it's chicken or duck, and I had diarrhea the next morning” She said on her vlog. She added that a Chinese person at the next table told her that some business owners use the name of the festival to cheat non-local people, and very few locals from Qingdao go to drink beer at the festival.The company that owns and ran the booth where she bought the beer and lamb skewers refuted her statements, telling the public that the vlogger is using her foreign identity online to mislead the public. They also noted that she used open-ended and vague statements to support her claims. Such statements include: I have never drank this beer, so I can’t tell whether it’s genuine or not; When I ate the meat, I felt it is not mutton; Maybe it is chicken meat or duck meat; It is not only fake but also expensive, etc.The company said in a statement that their business has a good reputation and is legally operated. “We have always supported and followed the rules and regulations, and positively uphold our social responsibility.” The company said in a statement.However her post didn’t resonate with netizens just because she is a foreigner, as many said in the comments section, it resonated with them because they had the same experience in such festivals, not necessarily in Qingdao though. They noted the price is truly expensive too, for example, 15 yuan for a lamb skewer, and 150 yuan for 2 liters of beer. They agreed with the blogger that it was too expensive even if it was genuine. Now that it is fake, that is more ridiculous, they added.On August 2, Navina published another video and an article saying that the Qingdao Market Supervision Bureau had summoned a meeting between her and the company at their office. The bureau staff told her that they noticed her video complaint about the products she bought at the festival.After they talked with her and the company in an effort to find out the truth, the bureau staff concluded that the skewers sold at the booth were NOT mutton.The vlogger and the company have already reached an agreement and she was refunded 1,200 yuan, which was broken down as follows:Refund for 2 liters of beers (180 yuan in total) Refund for 8 mutton skewers (120 yuan in total)The penalty of 3 times the amount of fake products (300 times 3)Total refunded amount: 1,200 yuan.Note: In China, if you buy a fake product you can complain to the market supervision bureau if the seller does not admit the fact that it is fake. If it is proved that the product is fake, the seller will be required by the bureau to refund you the full amount and three times the amount you spent to buy the product.
*The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author.* Follow Us
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