Hong Kong Customs combats unfair trade practices at medicine shop
*****************************************************************
Customs earlier received information from a Mainland visitor alleging that a staff member of a medicine shop in Mong Kok was suspected of engaging in unfair trade practices involving misleading omission in the course of selling Chinese herbal medicine. The investigation revealed that the salesperson promoted a "buy-one-get-one-free special offer" to the visitor, claiming that purchasing a certain type of Chinese herbal medicine would entitle her to proprietary Chinese medicine for free. Not until the herbal Chinese medicine was ground into powder did the salesperson claim that the promotion was "buy-10-get-one-free", thereby misleading the visitor into purchasing the herbal medicine at a cost more than 10 times higher than her expectation.
After an in-depth investigation, Customs officers mounted an enforcement operation today and arrested a salesman, aged 39, of the medicine shop concerned.
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 the unit price 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).
Ends/Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Issued at HKT 19:13
Issued at HKT 19:13
NNNN