Beauty salon closures leave Hongkongers battling to get their money back
Consumer Council reports more complaints from visitors to beauty treatment centres which had shut down or been taken over by another firm
More cosmetic treatment customers in Hong Kong faced disputes this year when their beauty salons closed down or had a new owner, the city’s consumer rights watchdog said yesterday.
In the first 11 months of this year, the Consumer Council received 1,272 complaints relating to beauty services, from claims of poor quality of services to concerns of safety.
In particular, the council saw a rise in complaints from consumers triggered by the closure of beauty shops or when they were taken over by another beauty shop, from 61 cases in the first 11 months last year to over 100 cases in the same period this year.
In one case, a woman paid HK$10,000 for beauty treatment coupons from Company A. When the company was later taken over by Company B, the woman still had 30 unused treatments. When she visited Company B for treatment service, she was told the “detox machine” used by the old salon was not available and was suggested to pay HK$6,000 for a new treatment, despite an earlier promise from Company B that it would provide the unused treatment owed by Company A for free. The woman later complained to the Consumer Council.
“We can see [service providers] in some cases forced customers to pay more for new services or accept harsh terms before they could continue to receive services [they bought earlier],”said Professor Michael Hui King-man, chairman of the council’s publicity and community relations committee.
“What’s most embarrassing for consumers is: if you don’t accept the new terms or pay more, your remaining unused treatment is wasted...and you want the new salon to provide the treatment. But, you have to pay extra for it. It’s like being ripped off twice.”