An aggressive sales approach has led to a beauty parlour worker being arrested by Hong Kong Customs in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).
Customs had received a complaint from a member of the public alleging that a beauty parlour staff member in Kwun Tong imposed undue influence in selling beauty treatments.
The staff member processed payment with the customer’s credit card without seeking authorisation for a treatment valued at about $100,000.
After initial investigation, Customs officers arrested a 44-year-old woman. She was released on bail pending further investigation.
Under the TDO, a trader commits an offence of engaging in aggressive commercial practices if he or she uses harassment, coercion or undue influence to impair the consumer’s freedom of choice or conduct relative to a product, causing the consumer to make a transactional decision. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a $500,000 fine and five years’ imprisonment.