Consumer complaints against beauty salons jump 21 per cent
Complaints against beauty salons jumped 21 per cent in the first nine months of this year to 534 cases from 440 cases in the same period last year, the Consumer Council said.
A council spokeswoman said the increase was mainly due to some 110 complaints against one salon which closed down earlier this year.
Complaints about beauty salons closing down between January and September rose to 146, a threefold increase from the 48 for the whole of last year. There were 148 complaints about the quality of services and 119 about sales practices. Another 63 were about suspected unsafe products, such as products causing allergy to customers.
The spokeswoman said some salon staff might pressure customers to buy packaged services and prepaid courses. 'However, the council suggest consumers should avoid prepaying a huge amount of money for services or courses because they may find it very difficult to claim the refund if the salon closes down or if they are not satisfied with the services.'
She said the council had not received complaints against whitening shots, but she stressed consumers should be cautious over any invasive treatments and consult a doctor first.
Federation of Beauty Industry chairman Nelson Ip Sai-hung said whitening shots had been introduced in Hong Kong only in the past one or two years and not many beauty salons provided this service.
He said beauticians would not inject customers with any substance. Injections should only be given by professional medical staff.
Ugly business
Number of complaints against beauty salons filed to the Consumer Council between January and September last year: 440
Number of complaints against beauty salons filed to the Consumer Council over the same period this year: 534
