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PARIS, June 3 (Reuters) – France has fined fast-fashion firm Shein about \u20ac22 million ($26 million) over issues with returns, \u200cproduct information and order confirmations, a penalty the company \u200cdescribed as disproportionate and vowed to challenge.<\/p>\n
The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer \u200bAffairs, and Fraud Control said on Wednesday it had fined Shein \u20ac16.7 million for the order confirmation issues and \u20ac5.8 million for issues with returns and environmental quality information.<\/p>\n
“Technical issues, with no \u200cimpact on consumers and \u2060already addressed where necessary, have been used as the basis for an exceptional penalty,” a Shein \u2060spokesperson said in a statement. “We therefore intend to strongly contest both sanctions in their entirety.”<\/p>\n
France fined Shein \u20ac40 million for misleading \u200bdiscounts in \u200bJuly. Authorities also sought to \u200bsuspend its marketplace, but \u200cParis’ Court of Appeals rejected that move in March.<\/p>\n
Shein, which has won over millions of cash-strapped shoppers around the world with rock-bottom prices on clothes, gadgets and accessories, has faced heightened scrutiny in France since November, when the consumer watchdog \u200cfound sex dolls resembling children \u200band banned weapons for sale on \u200bits site.<\/p>\n
Since the discovery, “we \u200bhave decided not to leave these platforms alone, \u200cand we will continue to \u200btake action until \u200bthey completely change their practices – or leave our market,” Serge Papin, minister for small and medium-sized businesses, said \u200bin a post \u200con X.<\/p>\n
($1 = 0.8615 euros)<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Makini Brice and Inti \u200bLandauro; additional reporting by Helen Reid; Editing by \u200bDominique Vidalon and Mark Potter)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n