Consumer Council Warns of Drugstore Sales Traps as Tourist Overcharged 160 Times
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The Consumer Council revealed that complaints related to drugs, medicinal herbs, and health products have risen significantly, with misleading sales tactics remaining a persistent problem. In one striking case, a visitor to Hong Kong was deceived into paying the equivalent of 160 times the expected price for medicinal herbs due to unclear pricing unit explanations. The case led to a criminal conviction, with the offending salesclerk receiving a community service sentence and ordered to pay compensation.
Key Points
- The Consumer Council received 1,190 complaints about drugs and health products in the first seven months of this year, marking a 50 percent increase compared to the same period last year .
- Approximately 25 percent of these complaints involved suspected misleading sales practices, including products with deceptively similar packaging to legitimate brands .
- A tourist purchased medicinal herbs at a pharmacy where the price tag showed "280 yuan" without a clear unit designation, leading the customer to assume pricing was by the jin rather than the qian .
- The salesclerk failed to disclose the pricing unit and total cost until after the herbs were ground into powder, demanding HK$22,400 instead of the expected HK$140 .
- Following investigation by the Customs and Excise Department, the salesclerk was convicted under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance for misleading omission, sentenced to 120 hours of community service, and ordered to compensate the complainant HK$11,000 .
Why It Matters
This case highlights how vulnerable tourists and consumers remain to aggressive sales tactics at certain retail establishments, despite regulatory enforcement efforts. The 50 percent spike in complaints underscores the urgent need for clearer pricing transparency requirements across the pharmacy and health product sector to protect consumer rights and Hong Kong's reputation as a fair shopping destination .
This case highlights how vulnerable tourists and consumers remain to aggressive sales tactics at certain retail establishments, despite regulatory enforcement efforts. The 50 percent spike in complaints underscores the urgent need for clearer pricing transparency requirements across the pharmacy and health product sector to protect consumer rights and Hong Kong's reputation as a fair shopping destination .