Hong Kong Customs combats unfair trade practices by wedding services company

     Hong Kong Customs today (February 3) arrested a male director of a wedding services company suspected of engaging in unfair trade practices involving misleading omission in the course of selling wedding services, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).

     Customs earlier received information from members of the public that when they purchased wedding services, including renting a wedding venue, from a wedding services company, they were told that the venue was accessible by vehicles with parking spaces provided. However, the wedding services company failed to provide material information to consumers that the road connecting to the wedding venue was a Drainage Maintenance Access which was not open to the public, misleading the consumers to procure the wedding services.

     After an in-depth investigation, Customs officers today arrested a 34-year-old male director of the wedding services company.

     An investigation is ongoing and the arrested person has been released on bail pending further investigation.

     Customs reminded traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to purchase products from 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 Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).