In Zhengzhou, two female students who both chose the 38 Yuan hair service at a hair salon called Paul International were asked to pay a total of 12 thousand Yuan afterwards. This grabbled national attention after the scandal was revealed in several newspapers and on CCTV. Last week, the involvement of Zhengzhou government resulted in a 500 thousand Yuan fine for the hair salon, which was shut down.

An article in The Beijing News says it's great to see the closure of the beauty salon. Meanwhile, the dramatic change in the attitude of the authority is doubtful. Officer in Price Control Bureau once commented that they could do nothing to the salon as it had labeled the price properly. However, with coverage by the media, five government departments were conducting investigation at one time. Later they found out that Paul International had many other problems including using illegitimate products and tax evasion. Why did the authority act so differently before and after media coverage? No one has the answer yet.

Another article on National Business Daily criticizes the authority for negligence. They questioned why the Price Control Bureau did not supervise the pricing regularly and condemned the Commerce and Industry Bureau for not examining the products displayed in the salon. It is also questionable if the channel for reporting complaints to the consumer association is accessible. It is believed that the scandal could have been avoided if the authorities did their jobs properly.

An article in Sanqin Daily demands the rationales behind the fine of 500 thousand Yuan. Although the behavior of the salon has aroused public condemnation, and it must pay for its wrong doing, but the punishment must come within the frame of law. Furthermore, the salon is already closed, will the notice of the fine that was posted on the door reach its owner? And how is the bureau going to run after the fine? We have no idea.