Hong Kong Customs combats unfair trade practices at medicine shop
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Hong Kong Customs today (April 29) arrested a salesman of a medicine shop suspected to have engaged in unfair trade practices involving a misleading omission in the course of selling a proprietary Chinese medicine, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).
Customs earlier received information alleging that a salesperson of a medicine shop in Jordan was suspected of providing material information about the total price of a proprietary Chinese medicine in an untimely manner. The total price, which was 10 times higher than what was expected, was only revealed after the medicine was ground into powder.
After an extensive investigation, Customs officers today arrested a 32-year-old salesman of the medicine shop concerned.
An investigation is ongoing and the arrested man was held for questioning.
Customs has long been concerned about visitors being misled into making purchases by unfair trade practices, and has established a Quick Response Team to handle urgent complaints lodged by short-term visitors. The complaints will be promptly referred to investigators to handle with priority.
With the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland approaching, Customs will continue to step up inspection and enforcement activities to vigorously combat unfair trade practices.
Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO, and consumers to purchase products from reputable shops. Consumers should also be cautious about the unit price for a commodity and ask for more information, including the total price of the goods selected, before making a purchase decision.
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 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/en).