Hong Kong Customs combats unfair trade practices at beauty parlour

     Hong Kong Customs today (October 11) arrested a female person-in-charge of a beauty parlour suspected of engaging in unfair trade practices involving misleading omission in the sale of beauty service, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).

     Customs earlier received information alleging that a female person-in-charge of a beauty parlour in Lai Chi Kok misled a customer to believe that a beauty treatment was charged at a certain sum. After undergoing the beauty treatment, the customer was requested to pay an amount which was 5 times different from expected.

     After investigation, Customs officers today arrested a 33-year-old woman.

     Investigation is ongoing and the arrested woman has been released on bail pending further investigation.

     Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to procure services at reputable shops.

     Under the TDO, any trader who engages in a commercial practice that omits or hides material information or provides material information in a manner that is unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely, and as a result causes, or is likely to cause, an average consumer to make a transactional decision commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).