Hong Kong Customs combats unfair trade practices at medicine shop
Hong Kong Customs today (April 21) arrested a salesmen of a medicine shop suspected of engaging in unfair trade practices involving a misleading omission in the course of selling Chinese herbal medicine, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).
A Customs officer, disguised as a customer, conducted a test-buy operation at a medicine shop in Mong Kok this afternoon. A salesman was suspected of providing untimely material information about the pricing unit of the Chinese herbal medicine. After the product was ground into powder, he revealed that the Chinese herbal medicine was priced per mace, resulting in a price difference 160 times higher compared to the expected per-catty pricing. Customs officers then arrested the 25-year-old salesman.
An investigation is ongoing and the arrested man was held for inquiry.
Customs has long been concerned about visitors being misled to make purchases by unfair trade practices and has established a Quick Response Team to handle urgent complaints lodged by short-haul 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 inspections and enforcements 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 unit prices 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).
Hong Kong Customs, Photo source: reference image
