I moved into my new house about one and a half years ago. It was the third time that we had ever moved, from a shared house to a 34 square meters, then to a 79 square meters, and finally to the present one, 135 square meters. It almost cost me all the lifesavings and I still have to pay the bank monthly for the personal housing accumulation fund loan. Everything was going OK with the house and the interior decoration. And we had been enjoying the new life in the new home.

However, since last Chinese New Year, I was astonished to find that some of the floor tiles (light yellow) in the sitting room are difficult to clean. And consequently, it looks like some tiles are “white” and some others are “black”. The clean ones feel smooth and therefore are easier to clean while the dirty “black” ones feel kind of rough, and there seem to be tiny grains on the surface. How come? How could it be like this? These tiles have a famous brand name: Marco Polo. (马可波罗) And each piece cost me 188 Yuan!

I could have bought much cheaper ones. However, the salesperson said the glossy tiles can be slippery while the matt ones are hard to clean. And this kind is between the two, not too slippery or too difficult to clean. And now how can I take it? Living room is the first thing people see on entering the house. In a sense, it is our “face or image”. People would laugh at me, being fooled by the exaggerated description of the salesman. How embarrassing it would be! You can imagine how disappointed and gloomy I was when I realized how tricky the problem was. It may be immature products of the so-called high technology. It would have been better if I had bought certain common tiles. It is even worse than plain concrete floor!

What makes me even more disappointed is the response from the sales agent and the manufacturer. First the sales agent said I had to wait until after the New Year, and then the representative of the factory was too busy to come. Not until several months later did a guy come and take some photos. I waited and waited for the explanation and possible solution to my problem, but no reply came. With no alternative, I had to take the initiative in making calls. Guess what? That guy told me they had examined the pictures and found no evidence that there’re quality problems with the tiles. When asked why some get dirty quicker while others not, he replied it might be either the way we use or the atmosphere. I was totally speechless. Later I contacted the sales agent, who said scientifically speaking there’s no quality problem but that considering the real situation they can pay me some compensation. How ridiculous! If there’s no quality problem, in what name should I receive the compensation? What I really care about is how to solve the problem. I cannot imagine my living in a living room with so many “dirty” tiles!

I’m considering seeking help from the local Industrial and Commercial Bureau. However, some friends told me they just mediate and have no real power. I’m also thinking of asking the media to help me. The problem is: Would they come and report such a matter for a common person like me? I feel a bit helpless. Why are we consumers still in such a weak position? It has been more than 30 years since the market economy was introduced into China! Who will stand out and safeguard the interests of us common customers? No matter what, we should make our voice heard, and if necessary we should take some “tough” action.