10 weeks' jail for salesman who misled client into paying HK$10,000 for fish maw

A salesman at a Causeway Bay dried seafood store was sentenced yesterday to 10 weeks in jail for deliberately misleading a customer with incorrect measurement units in November, causing her to pay more than eight times what she expected to.

Wong Fung-yik's ambiguous sales acts deluded the customer into thinking she was getting two catties of dried fish maw for HK$1,160, when in fact the unit price displayed was for one tael, Eastern Court heard earlier. One catty (600 grams) contains 16 taels.

The deception drew harsh words from magistrate Lee Siu-ho. "This has not only hurt consumers' confidence and undermined their rights, but also dented the reputation of Hong Kong," he said. "The court has to send a clear message to the public, as well as to all other sectors, that it does not tolerate" this practice.

Wong, 57, was granted bail pending his application for an appeal.

He previously denied two counts of engaging in a commercial practice that involved a misleading omission - an offence under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.

On November 14, Wong was evasive when the customer approached the shop, Yan Hin Bird's Nest Medicine Company on Pennington Street, and enquired about the price of its fish maw, a Chinese delicacy.

The woman saw "580" on a sign and asked Wong if that was the price for a catty of fish maw. Despite her repeated questions, his reply was "580".