Marketing chain DCHL vows to refund customers HK$67,000 each
DCHL to return HK$67,000 to each registered buyer, but gives no specifics and makes no mention of paying back remaining money
An Asian chain running a controversial multilevel marketing scheme in Hong Kong has agreed to refund its customers after a series of protests and negotiations, but has yet to give details on when and how it would do so.
Yesterday, about 80 mainlanders who negotiated with Digital Crown Holdings HK (DCHL) registered for a HK$67,000 refund each, said a member of an alliance against the health and beauty products distributor.
The company brainwashed me by saying that some people who used to be very poor made big money through the company
The alliance has organised several protests this month, claiming its members were tricked into buying products such as wine, jewellery, cosmetics and fragrances that had almost no resale value. They had to spend at least HK$67,000 each time, and some had made purchases up to 16 times.
Those gathered at the company’s Causeway Bay centre yesterday were asked to register and told that the management would decide later on when and how they would get their money back. The chain did not say if it would refund the rest of their purchases, said a man who identified himself as a volunteer with the alliance but not a customer.
“It’s totally unacceptable to me,” said the man, who wanted to be known only by his surname, Peng. “The company operated against the rules. But most of them are accepting this offer first. They have waited for three days, and this is a bit of hope for them.”
There were about 20 others who joined the previous protests, but they returned to the mainland yesterday, he said, adding that it was unfair for those who missed out on the registration.
At the centre yesterday was a Shenzhen customer, who wanted to be known only by his surname Zhong. He said he spent HK$300,000 on products such as jewellery and fragrances.