Beijing court sees rise in disputes involving older adults

A Beijing court has reported a rise in civil disputes involving older adults, particularly in areas such as online education, travel, dating services and nursing care.

The trend reflects the broader range of social activities older people are engaging in, with disputes extending beyond traditional issues such as purchases of health supplements to more diverse and complex matters, according to the Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court.

The announcement came ahead of the Chongyang Festival, also known as the Double Ninth Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday honoring older people.

From January 2023 to August this year, the court handled more than 8,000 cases involving older adults and online education. Many complaints concerned courses that failed to match their advertised descriptions and unreasonable refund policies, said Wang Guocai, vice-president of the court.

In one case, a retiree surnamed Wang paid 4,479 yuan ($670) for an artificial intelligence course but found that it focused on livestreaming sales techniques rather than the promised skills for generating income. After a trial, the court ruled that Wang should receive a partial refund of 2,500 yuan, as there was no evidence that the company had guaranteed earnings simply for attending the classes.

Jiang Zhen, a judge at the court, said many online training programs use enticing phrases such as "high returns, low risk" to attract older adults, who may have disposable income but less ability to assess risks. These transactions often lack written contracts or chat records, making it more difficult for older consumers to defend their rights.

"Furthermore, in their eagerness to resolve issues, seniors might fall prey to fraudulent legal services, leading to additional losses," she said, advising older adults to exercise caution when purchasing online courses and keep screenshots of payment records as evidence.

From January 2023 to August this year, the court also resolved more than 400 travel-related disputes involving older adults. These cases often involved itineraries that did not meet the specific needs of elderly travelers, inadequate safety information, and scams disguised as "free" or "low-cost" tours.

During the same period, the court concluded more than 150 cases related to senior dating and more than 700 involving nursing care, Wang said.

"Besides traditional matchmaking services, many seniors are now using online dating platforms," he said. "However, some agencies are bundling financial products with their services, and many platforms fail to verify user information properly, leading to numerous fake profiles."

In eldercare, Wang added, disputes often stem from unclear service standards, nontransparent pricing, business instability and difficulties recovering large prepayments made in exchange for heavily discounted services.