Salesmen for TVB's pay television service have been accused of using deceptive practices to lure customers into signing lock-in contracts.
A group of mostly elderly Tuen Mun residents claimed yesterday they were told by TVB salesmen that they had to sign up for TVB Pay Vision if they wanted to continue watching free-to-air TV when the station launches digital broadcasts next year. Several said debt collectors were sent when they refused to pay the bill.
Chan Siu-kwong, chairman of the residents' committee of Oi Chi House, Yau Oi Estate, said residents were angry because the salesmen targeted the poor and elderly.
'The victims have limited education and knowledge [about TV services]. Many are illiterate. But salesmen gave them misleading information to lure them to sign contracts,' he said.
One Yau Oi Estate resident, a Mrs Cheung, who refused to disclose her full name because she had been threatened by debt collectors, said she was first approached in November and signed up under high-pressure sales tactics.
'The salesmen told me that I had to upgrade the system otherwise I wouldn't be able to watch [terrestrial] TV later,' she said. 'The salesmen insisted that I didn't have to pay anything.'
But after May the bills began to arrive and Mrs Cheung has been harassed by debt collectors.
