Hong Kong pet grooming, cremation services get a mauling from consumers, watchdog says
Serious animal injuries and cremation of the wrong cat are among 'outrageous' complaints filed with the Consumer Council last year
Pet owners should exercise greater alertness when using services such as grooming and funeral planning, the consumer watchdog has warned amid a lack of regulatory oversight and large number of complaints.
The Consumer Council received 16 pet-related complaints last year, most in cases that were "outrageous" in nature.
In one case, a dog received injuries after its bath at a pet shop and had to undergo spinal surgery at the vet's.
The owner suspected his dog had been injured during the bath. He told the shop staff he had lost confidence in them and demanded a refund of the HK$1,200 he had paid for a grooming package.
The shop claimed nothing had gone wrong during the bath and would only give him "store credits" to be spent on other products or services. The man declined the offer and took his complaint to the council.
"Always check the condition of your pet immediately after use of the pet service," Professor Michael Hui King-man, chairman of the council's publicity and community relations committee, said yesterday.
"Should your pet be found indisposed or injured afterwards, consumers should notify the pet shop concerned."
The council also described a case in which a provider of pet funerals cremated the wrong deceased cat. The client later found out her cat had been cremated earlier "by mistake".
In yet another complaint, a pet chihuahua was sent to an animal boarding house for three days, only to return with deep neck wounds and a swollen foreleg. The owner could not obtain medical compensation as she had not consulted the boarding house before going to the vet.
Regulatory oversight covers commercial services for animal boarding. The service provider needs a licence to operate.
According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, any person who provides food and accommodation to animals in return for a fee must apply for a HK$3,800-per-year boarding establishment licence. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of HK$2,000.
But the public health regulations exempt the operations of pet beauty or funeral services.
"Different shops … may require customers to take the injured pet to a designated vet clinic or will not be held responsible for the medical expenses," Hui said.
The council urged pet owners to retain all receipts and records of vet diagnoses for proof of claims, and to choose only licensed boarding premises.
Hui added: "In the choice of pet funeral service, take into consideration if the operator is in compliance with the various regulations."
