Thread by @thinking_panda

Is China a country ruled by law? How to sue in China? Does a lawsuit in China cost a lot of money and time? I will tell you my personal experience recently.（1/N）

Last year, affected by covid19 epidemic, the gym near my home was closed. However, the company it belongs to didn't want to return the rest of my money. Moreover, the company rejected the govt's(local Industry and Commerce Bureau) proposal for a refund.（2/N）

So I decided to sue the company. The first step, I took out my cell phone. Yes, in China, courts at all levels have their own "WeChat service account". If you want to sue, just use your cell phone. I quickly completed my appointment for lawsuit.（3/N）

After completing the appointment, I quickly received a text message from the court, which included the date of my appointment, the documents I need to bring for establishing case, and the address of the court.（4/N）

The second step, I downloaded the template of the indictment from the court's website and prepared the relevant evidence and documents. Then in the appointment date, I went to the court and submitted these documents to a staff of the court.（5/N）

Ten days later, I received a text message from the court. It told me that the court was ready to adopt "summary mediation procedure". I needed to appear in court on the appointed day.（6/N）

In court, I met the lawyer of the company being sued and the judge in my case. The judge suggested that the company accept my claim, and the lawyer bargained with me about the exact amount of compensation.（7/N）

About 10 days later, the court informed me that the case had been filed. I can check the progress of my case at any time on the court's website.（8/N）

The website is well designed. I can get all the information I want to know, including the filing information of the case, the applicable legal provisions of the case, the information of the judge, and the trial deadline of the case.（9/N）

I waited another week. The judge called me and told me that the company agreed to my claim, about 10000 RMB. At the same time, the court sent me a text message, a website URL.
On this website, I can make a " incorrupt evaluation" on the work of my judge.（10/N）

That's my experience in lawsuit in Shanghai. It took me about a month and cost 0. In fact, because I won the lawsuit, the cost was borne by the defendant, about 25 RMB (US $5).（11/N）

In China, the wide application of mobile information technology makes the lawsuit easy and efficient.
Most of the time, you don't need a lawyer.
It means you don't have to spend a lot of money.（End）

In China, most complaints can be resolved through "12345" hotline or App.
I also sought the govt's help through 12345, but the company refused the govt's proposal.
That's why I decided to sue it.

My English is not very good, so some legal terms in my thread may not be very accurate.
In addition, this thread is just my personal experience, a simple civil case.
I respect all lawyers.🥰

Some people don't believe my thread.
In fact, since 2015, Shanghai, where I live, has implemented the summary procedure of small claims lawsuit.
The cheapest legal costs are less than $1.5 and must be over in a month.
m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_for…

So many people are surprised to complete the lawsuit within one month, so many people are surprised to almost free lawsuit, so many people are surprised to have lawsuit through cell phone.
But these are common to Chinese people.
It's just that the western media won't tell you.🤔