‘Expensive and fake’: apology and US$167 payout for pro-China German influencer who accused Qingdao festival over watered-down beer and dodgy meat
- Online defender of Chinese culture gets angry initial denial from authorities after accusing beer festival vendor of serving up substandard food and drink
- Following probe by local authorities, officials conclude claims ‘substantially accurate’
An online influencer who accused a beer festival in China of serving her watered-down German ale and fake lamb skewers has been given 1,200 yuan (US$167) in compensation after her complaint sparked public outrage.
German influencer and business student, Navina Heyden, has more than 610,000 followers on Weibo and is a long-time advocate of Chinese culture and a consistent defender of the country on foreign social media platforms.
However, despite describing herself as “a German girl speaking up for China” on her Weibo profile, on July 22, she took to social media to complain about her festival encounter.
In a post she outlined her disappointing experience at the Qingdao Beer Festival in Shandong province in eastern China, claiming that she might have consumed fake German beer and lamb skewers.
“I heard that this beer festival was very similar to our German Oktoberfest, so I was quite interested. However, the Qingdao Beer Festival left me disappointed,” she wrote.
Heyden claimed to have ordered two litres of what was described as authentic German beer from Munich, and eight lamb skewers, which cost a total of 300 yuan (US$55), or 90 yuan per litre for the beer and 15 yuan per skewer.
However, she said the taste was far from what she experienced in Germany, and suspected that the beer may have been diluted with water and the lamb skewers, which gave her an upset stomach, were made with chicken or duck meat.
She also described her experience as “expensive and fake” in the post, adding: “While the other activities at the beer festival were enjoyable, the experience of drinking and dining was really unsatisfactory.”
Her post immediately attracted attention and prompted a swift response from the seller of the drink and food she consumed.
On July 26, the Qingdao Garden Hotel, which operated the food stand at the festival, issued a statement on its official WeChat account, accusing Heyden of using her influencer status to mislead the public.
“We will take all necessary measures to protect our legitimate rights and reserve the right to pursue legal action, including but not limited to civil litigation and criminal warnings, against false and unfounded statements,” the hotel said.
In response, Heyden defended her right as a consumer to give a negative review and said: “I did not reveal your name, I just gave your service a negative review via a video, which is my legal right as a consumer.
“Everyone online is free to give sellers negative reviews. Are you going to sue me just because I gave a negative review? This is ridiculous.”
As the dispute gained more attention and triggered widespread debate, the local authorities stepped in to investigate.
A member of staff from the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Laoshan District, Qingdao City, told China Newsweek: “An investigation is currently under way. We will actively strengthen the supervision of the cultural and tourism industry and businesses.”
On August 2, Heyden posted that the Qingdao Market Supervision and Administration Bureau had got in touch with her and told her to contact the business in question for an apology and compensation.
According to her post, after an on-site investigation, the bureau had concluded that her claims were “substantially accurate”. Officials had also taken into account photographs and videos she had provided.
She also received 1,200 yuan in compensation, which covered a refund and three times her initial expenditure, and the business retracted their initial statement.
Heyden said: “Despite going through all of this, I still love Qingdao and look forward to the city getting better through everyone’s joint efforts.”
This incident has struck a chord with online observers who have had similar experiences but who envy her for successfully defending her rights.
One said: “Foreigners can still get problems solved more quickly in China.”
“Completely because you are a foreigner. If an ordinary Chinese person spoke up like this I doubt they would get the level of compensation you received,” said another.
