Local papers are reporting that Ms. Wang Bei, a consumer advocate in Hunan, complained in the last month to the local Industrial and Commercial Department, saying that Haier is exaggerating the "energy saving" capacity of its BCD-208K/AS refrigerator. After receiving the complaint, the Jinshi Industrial and Commercial Department had the State Light Industry Home Appliance Quality Control and Testing Wuhan Branch conduct an investigation.
The investigation of other Haier refrigerators of the same type found the refrigerator consumes 0.47 kilowatt power per day, instead of the 0.34 as it had claimed on advertisements since March 2003. State regulations say that the actual power consumption of a refrigerator should not go beyond 15% of what is advertised to consumers.
The case is now under investigation, and according to the Hunan Economic Paper, an inquiry notice was sent to Haier's Qingdao headquarters on August 12, but so far, the company has not given any response. Consumer advocates have not yet decided whether to bring their case before a judge.