Xunlei sold 25-year memberships for ¥300 — then recalled them to 1 month and refunded

In early January 2025 Xunlei's official store on an e-commerce platform sold two-year 'super member' cards, and a promotion gave six extra months per order. The bonus stacked, so one buyer who spent ¥300 on ten orders received 25 years of membership, valid to June 2050; another who spent ¥30 received two and a half years.

Days later the store told customers the price had been 'set by mistake' and asked for the benefits back, offering a full refund. When buyers refused, Xunlei unilaterally cut their memberships anyway — one customer's 25 years shrank to one month, another's two and a half years to about four weeks.

Xunlei offered two choices: keep the card with one month plus a gift of three months, or take a full refund plus one month. The deadline was 23 January 2025, and orders not handled by then defaulted to the no-refund plan. Customers rejected both, saying a paid order is a contract that cannot be changed unilaterally.

The backlash reached more than 300 complaints across three collective cases on the platform, almost none resolved. A lawyer told the press Xunlei's unilateral change had no effect on consumers and likely breached consumer-protection law. Asked how many people were affected, customer service said it was 'internal information we cannot provide'. The episode did not dent the business: membership revenue rose to about $134 million in 2024, up 12%.