Disposable sanitary pads sold in Hong Kong show wide discrepancies in absorption speed, with more than half of tested products also lacking adequate labelling, the consumer watchdog has found. The Consumer Council on Monday revealed the results of a survey of 36 winged sanitary towels, in which one sample took 73 seconds to fully absorb…
The Hong Kong government will table a bill at the Legislative Council in the first half of 2027 to introduce a statutory cooling-off period for prepaid beauty and fitness contracts, the commerce chief has said. Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah revealed the timeline on Saturday, two weeks after the government concluded…
Hong Kong customs is investigating whether an 88-year-old was pressured into spending HK$100,000 (US$12,750) on beauty products at an outlet linked to a company already accused of aggressive sales tactics. In a social media post on Saturday, a woman surnamed Ng wrote that her mother was targeted during a three-hour ordeal in April at the…
More consumers in Hong Kong have come forward to allege aggressive sales tactics across the beauty sector, including credit card abuse, unwanted physical contact and pressure to buy costly products, on the back of a crackdown on the local operations of a UK-based brand. Legal experts warned that such practices could breach the Trade Descriptions…
As Hong Kong customs expands its investigation into Opatra London following complaints of high-pressure sales tactics involving purchases of up to HK$100,000 (US$12,800), former employees and customers of similar beauty chains say the aggressive sales playbook feels all too familiar. Although the UK-based luxury beauty chain – originally incorporated as Oro Gold – has distanced…
Hong Kong parents and concern groups have urged authorities to reinstate student subsidies after textbook prices recorded their sharpest increase since the Covid-19 pandemic, amid the growing use of digital learning tools. Prices for a list of textbooks now range from HK$4,000 (US$510) to HK$6,000, representing an average increase of 3.6 per cent for the…
Hong Kong taxi and light bus drivers have called for a two-month liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidy scheme to be extended amid uncertainty over wars in the Middle East, and warned monthly operating costs could rise by up to 33 per cent when the policy ends. A government task force rolled out the subsidy on…
Hongkongers buying insurance for their pets have been urged to carefully examine third-party liability terms and pay special attention to coverage related to disputes and animals with a history of aggression. The Consumer Council issued the warning on Wednesday, less than a week after more than 900 restaurants became legally allowed to welcome dogs on…
More than half of the reading glasses tested by Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog failed to label pupillary distance, a key measurement for aligning lenses to ensure clear vision and reduced risk of eye strain. The Consumer Council tested 17 models of ready-to-wear reading glasses between January and May this year, with the claimed degree of…
Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has urged hotels and online booking platforms to clearly outline their responsibilities in cases of reservation changes or refunds, after general complaints neared an annual average of 1,000 over the past three years. The Consumer Council also said on Monday that it had received 3,346 complaints about lodgings in the city…