Hong Kong Customs today (July 14) arrested a saleslady of a beauty parlour suspected of having applied a false trade description in the course of selling a beauty service, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).
Customs earlier received information alleging that a salesperson of a beauty parlour in Tsim Sha Tsui made a false claim to a customer that the beauty treatment fee would be settled by interest-free monthly instalments. However, the customer later found that the beauty parlour had charged the whole treatment fee in one go.
After an in-depth investigation, Customs officers today arrested a 30-year-old saleslady of the beauty parlour suspected to be connected to the case.
An investigation is ongoing and the arrested woman has 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 or offered to be 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/Thursday, July 14, 2022