Hong Kong Customs today (September 15) arrested a female director and a saleslady of a beauty parlour who were suspected of having applied a false trade description to a beauty service, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).
Customs earlier received information alleging that a saleslady of a beauty parlour had made a false claim to a customer that the selected beauty service was not included in a voucher purchased online and requested the customer to pay an additional charge. The consumer, however, discovered later that the beauty service was covered by the terms and conditions of the voucher.
After investigation, Customs officers today arrested two women, aged 38 and 39.
An investigation is ongoing and the arrested women have been released on bail pending further investigation.
Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to procure services at reputable shops.
Under the TDO, any trader who applies a false trade description to a service supplied to a consumer 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 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
Ends/Tuesday, September 15, 2020