Da Vinci Furniture Claims Extortion By CCTV Reporter

Last July, we reported about the Da Vinci Furniture scandal. Even then, there was some talk that Da Vinci may actually be a victim of competitors or extortion. Over the past few days, there have been some major new developments…

From QQ & NetEase:

Da Vinci files complaint claiming it was extorted by CCTV reporter, wired millions to resolve the Counterfeit-gate

Summary: Da Vinci Furniture claims CCTV “Weekly Quality Report” reporter Li Wenxue colluded with consumer Tang Ying to fabricate false reports and extort Da Vinci Furniture out of 1 million yuan. Da Vinci Furniture has already filed complaints over this with the General Administration of Press and Publications, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, and the police. CCTV has not responded to this, and it is unknown if the police have accepted the case.

[…]

After “Counterfeit-gate” is “Conspiracy-gate”

In the article titled “Inside the Da Vinci Case” by Caixin’s “Century Weekly”, a detailed expose is made revealing how the dispute between Da Vinci Furniture and the customer Miss Tang mentioned in the CCTV “Weekly Quality Report” program came about, how CCTV in its undercover visit to Dongguan Changfeng Furniture guided the salesman in what to say about their relationship to Da Vinci Furniture, and how Da Vinci went through middlemen to meet with the CCTV reporter several times.

In CCTV’s “Weekly Quality Report”, Miss Tang and “Dongguan Changfeng general manager” Peng Jie were the two key figures [testifying to Da Vinci’s counterfeiting]. Miss Tang testified that the quality of the Da Vinci furniture she purchased did not meet standards, while Peng Jie then acknowledged that the furniture was “actually manufactured by their company”.

However, the “Century Weekly” report discovered that Peng Jie’s true identity is actually that of a freelance salesman, that their factory doesn’t actually manufacture Cappelletti Furniture, but because he wanted to get a major purchase from CCTV’s undercover reporter “General Manager Li”, he “exaggerated” and said something like “we help manufacture for Da Vinci”.

As for the dispute involving payments, quality issues, and other problems with customer Miss Tang, it had already gone to the Dongcheng District court 3 times. Miss Tang’s husband has said that he “knows CCTV’s “Weekly Quality Report” reporter, and can bring down Da Vinci Furniture”. After Da Vinci went through middlemen Cui Bin to pay Miss Tang 4.5 million yuan as a “settlement”, they met CCTV undercover reporter “General Manager Li” Li Wenxue.

Furthermore, middleman Cui Bin told Da Vinci that the CCTV reporter demanded 1 million yuan to “resolve the matter” [stop producing negative reports about Da Vinci], and so on July 28th, Da Vinci wire transferred 155,200 USD (approximately 1 million RMB) to a CITIC Bank account with a billing address at Lippo Centre on 89 Queensway in Hong Kong.

[…]

No response from CCTV officials

The reporter yesterday contacted the staff of CCTV’s “Weekly Quality Report” who said they currently will not make any public statements but it can be certain that CCTV will take responsibility for the content of its reports.

UPDATE: See also “The PR Crisis at DaVinci Furnitures” (EastSouthWestNorth) for more translated details.

Comments from NetEase:

candtrae [网易加拿大网友]:

Da Vinci and the reporter has now been at each other from 2011 into 2012, truly a wonder. Here I want to wish the motherland’s netizens a happy new year, that in the new year they can quickly find their way to North America, so they will no longer have to consume sewage oil, drink unsafe milk, or ride school buses that don’t meet regulations, and so they enjoy the spectacular scenery of the Niagara Falls on the US-Canadian border.

网易四川省内江市手机网友:

May the new year bring me winning the lottery! Finding a virgin wife, and changing lovers daily :)

我用脚投票 [网易加拿大网友]:

In 2011, the following relevant departments were really [in the news, caught people’s attention]: The Railway Ministry, Red Cross, Imperial Palace [lost exhibits, exclusive clubs for rich people, etc.], CCTV [being CCTV], Chengguan [being Chengguan]…

奉天闲人 [网易辽宁省沈阳市手机网友]:

[Da Vinci] finally admits [their furniture] were fake, otherwise why give the reporter money.

骑马o过海 [网易广东省广州市网友]：

It’s getting darker and darker, bigger and bigger. Just going to sit here and watch the dog fight.

网易中国手机网友:

Da Vinci and the reporter are both bad!

网易黑龙江省哈尔滨市网友 [多面佛]:

I’m eagerly awaiting Central Shit‘s most niu temporary worker reporter to make his sparkling entrance on stage!

多面佛 [网易黑龙江省哈尔滨市网友]:

The best result of this “dog biting dog” is:
The Da Vinci cheat of a company goes bankrupt,
and Central Shit‘s reputation is ruined,
two birds with one stone, removing two evils at once.

网易重庆市网友 [刚健的老二]:

Why would CCTV take such a large risk for just 1 million. Any one of their advertisements cost over tens of millions. Even having one of their minor hosts to help host a program costs millions. If you said CCTV extorted you for tens of millions, then at least it believability would be higher.

网易浙江省嘉兴市网友 [永远的清风明月]:

Actually, the crux of the problem is in whether or not the reporter extorted, what the masses are paying more attention to is whether or not Da Vinci counterfeited [lied about its products]. Even if the reporter blackmailed, that doesn’t prove Da Vinci didn’t lie about its products. If the reporter extorted, the law will deal with him, and if Da Vinci lied, it too must be held accountable. What more, when did the reporter extort them. If it was before Da Vinci was exposed, why come out about it now with such “grievance”? The Chinese people already no longer believe the “tears”, because we have already been awakened by so many crocodiles putting on shows before [“crocodile tears”].

网易广东省广州市天河区手机网友:

What a bite [accusation], this demon lady [Panzhuang Xiuhua, the CEO of Da Vinci] really TM has guts, her crying face looking like she had lost her parents.

[Both of these netizens likely mistakenly believe the images (the first one shown above) featured in the NetEase version of this article is of Panzhuang Xiuhua now as she accuses CCTV, when instead it is actually of her press conference last July.]

网易中国手机网友:

Dare to pick a fight with big CCTV, are you looking to die!?

网易浙江省杭州市网友 [bitpermanent]:

After looking at some of the evidence posted online, I’m starting to believe Da Vinci is telling the truth.
Prior to the entire truth coming out, wait and watch the developments, as even more evidence will emerge.
If in the end Da Vinci is innocent, then CCTV used its monopoly in the news to create fake news, extort a company. Such despicable actions are appalling, where is the bottom line of the news? Where is the supervision by the law? Of course, in this mysterious nation, every person has gotten used to this, where such things are no longer surprising~

网易河南省焦作市网友:

[I’d] rather believe a business person than a reporter.

网易江苏省手机网友:

There are no businesses that aren’t evil/self-seeking, so there’s a problem with Da Vinci, but the problem with CCTV may be even bigger. If we’re talking about the gunman [aggressor], who could compare to CCTV. The victim is always the weaker party.

What do you think? Last year, most people were eager to believe that Chinese company Da Vinci would engage in such questionable business practices, and they did not care if “rich Chinese people” were cheated. What about now?