讀後心得

A man invested 1,980 TWD at a claw machine shop in Taipei's Raohe Night Market, attempting to win the popular figurine "Labubu." However, he faced difficulties due to the claw's settings being adjusted to "gentle grip" and obstacles blocking the machine, resulting in his failure to win anything. The man accused the shop owner of fraud, claiming he felt like his wallet was drained without winning anything. The consumer protection officer stated that complaints can be filed if the machines are found to be illegally modified, while the shop owner emphasized that he would address customer issues according to regulations. The public is advised to carefully select toys to play with and avoid becoming victims of scams.

Recently at the Raohe Night Market in Taipei, a man went to a claw machine shop, attempting to grab the popular item "Labubu" doll, only to find that the machine owner had adjusted the settings of the claw to "pet claw." The claw automatically retracted after gliding over the item, and a "blocker" was added to the machine, further increasing the difficulty of winning the prize. He expressed dissatisfaction over spending 1980 TWD on play credits without successfully grabbing any dolls, and he accused the machine owner of fraud.

The man stated that the claw would close but could not grasp the items, making him reluctant to try again. However, the claw merely glided lightly over the items, which remained unmoving, raising doubts about how the owner intended for them to succeed in grabbing anything. Many customers also reported that after the claw extended, it retracted without reaching the base of the item due to insufficient wire length, making it impossible to grab any items. Upon returning to the questionable machine, we found that when the claw was on the far right, it could not move anymore, and it was confirmed that the claw's strength was very limited, making it even harder to win items.

Complaining customers expressed, “This 'pet claw' setting makes me suspect if there is any fraudulent behavior. How could the operation of claw machines become so unreasonable?” This incident occurred on the afternoon of the 9th, with affordable Labubu dolls placed inside the machine. Many people deposited 10 TWD after 10 TWD, yet still failed to successfully retrieve any products, leaving their wallets feeling burdened. He mentioned, “In the end, I couldn't even grab anything with my 1980 TWD in play credits; it seems like all the money I spent was wasted.”

The head of the Taipei City Consumer Protection Office stated, “If there is suspicion that the machine owner has made improper modifications affecting the chances of winning, complaints can be filed with the relevant authorities.” The accused machine owner, however, stated that they have actively addressed customer issues according to regulations, but the other party has not responded. Nonetheless, according to relevant regulations, if the machine is indeed improperly modified, the most severe penalty could be a fine of 60,000 TWD. Next time, customers should be more cautious when dealing with disputed machines to avoid losing money and becoming victims of fraud.