Photo/Shetuwang

May 11 (NBD) -- Chinese self-serve package locker Hive Box reiterated Monday that it will stick to a new strategy that charges fees on overdue packages, though the decision has met strong criticism from users. 

Formed by Chinese courier services giant SF Express and four other logistics company, Hive Box said on April 30 that it launched a membership plan, and for those who do not pay the 5-yuan monthly membership fees, the company will only offer free storage service for 12 hours, and will charge 0.5 yuan (7 cents) for every 12 hours afterwards, with a cap set at 3 yuan.

The biggest provider of self pick-up lockers in China said the 12-hour limit aims to speed up the rotation of lockers.

The fees may seem petit, but Hive Box's decision has since drawn fierce backfire and sparked heated online discussion. Owners' committees of over 70 residential communities have said they would suspend these lockers.

One of the major complaints is that delivery staff often put the packages in the lockers without gaining consent from recipients in advance, leading them to feel that they are unfairly charged since they already paid for the delivery service.

Moreover, The Beijing News found that not only the package recipents but also the delivery personnel have to pay for using these lockers. A courier told the news agency that he pays around 50 yuan a week for using Hive Box.

Though faced with strong criticism, Hive Box will not give up the new policy, otherwise it "will not be able to provide service anymore", said the company's chief marketing officer Li Wenqing.

Industry insiders hold that Hive Box's move is related to its profitability issue. Since establishment in June 2015, the company had suffered a total loss of around 2 billion yuan as of the end of 2019.

It is noted that Hive Box said on May 5 that it had acquired its rival Sudiyi, which is backed by China's postal service China Post. The transaction increased Hive Box's market share to nearly 70 percent from 44 percent, and is regarded as giving it an upper hand in bargaining with users.

Email:gaohan@nbd.com.cn