A Mong Kok wedding dress retailer has been arrested following a customer complaint.
Hong Kong Customs arrested the 27-year-old woman, charging her with engaging in an unfair trade practice. She is alleged to have made a misleading omission in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO) by failing to inform a customer of the need to pay an extra amount of deposit for hiring a wedding dress.
A complaint was received by Customs that the extra money was demanded by the wedding dress rental shop owner after an agreement had been reached. Following an initial investigation, the shop owner was taken into custody. She has been released on bail pending further investigation.
Under the TDO, a trader who omits or hides material information from a customer; who provides information that is unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely; or fails to identify commercial intent, causing the consumer to make a transactional decision that they would not have made otherwise; commits an offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of HK$500,000 (US$64,423.86) and imprisonment for five years.