Black Cat Complaint releases 2025 data for the household appliances sector

IT Home reported on February 3 that Sina’s consumer complaint platform Black Cat Complaint released its 2025 report on the household appliance sector. The data shows that total complaints in this category exceeded 32,000 cases in 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 23.07%.

According to the report, expanded government subsidy programs in 2025 significantly boosted appliance consumption. However, issues such as unclear discount rules and poor coordination in after-sales services during policy implementation led to increased consumer dissatisfaction. Complaint trends throughout the year showed strong promotion-driven characteristics, with sharp spikes during major shopping festivals such as “618” and “Double 11,” as well as temporary fluctuations during the New Year shopping season and subsidy restarts.

In terms of complaint categories, after-sales service issues accounted for the largest share at 40.33%, followed by product quality problems at 25.52%, difficulties with returns and refunds at 25.31%, and false advertising at 8.84%.

By product category, smart cleaning robots ranked first with a 23.33% share of complaints. While their adoption has accelerated due to technological advances, time-saving demand, and lower prices, problems such as inaccurate navigation and obstacle avoidance—often described as “pseudo-intelligence”—have become key pain points. Air conditioners accounted for 17.91% of complaints, mainly involving installation fee disputes and cooling or heating failures. Small household appliances made up 13.18%, with complaints largely related to inconsistent quality control and safety risks among low-priced models.

Regarding merchant response rates, the overall level remained high, with most companies achieving response rates of 98% or above. Brands including Tineco, Ecovacs, Midea, Supor, TCL, Dreame, and Gree recorded response rates above 99%, while Roborock exceeded 98%, and Hisense and Haier were both above 97%. No company showed a response rate significantly below the industry average.