Consumer Council chief Paul Lam calls for lawmakers to stick to timeline on mandatory cooling-off period for gym and beauty service contracts

Lam concerned about timeline for bill, saying he fears it might not get through Legco before its term ends in July 2020

One option is a cooling-off period of three working days and a refund period of seven days – another is seven days with refunds issued within 14 days

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Paul Lam in November 2017. The chairman of the Consumer Council says conditions are worrying for the passage of a cooling-off bill. Photo: Simon Song

Published: 8:00am, 21 Oct 2019Updated: 9:53pm, 21 Oct 2019

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog chief has urged the city’s lawmakers to pass a mandatory cooling-off period for gym and beauty salon contracts by next July, warning that the struggling economy might increase threats to customers.

Consumer Council chairman Paul Lam Ting-kwok made the appeal last week after chaos erupted at the Legislative Council when it returned after summer recess. He said the conditions for passing the proposed legislation were in place.

Lam aired concerns about the planned timeline for the law, saying he would regret if it failed to go forward before the Legco term ends in July 2020.

“On whether it can be done as expected, certainly there are more worries or concerns, however you describe it, compared with a few months ago,” he said.

Members of the Beauty Industry Union submit a petition to lawmakers against the government-proposed cooling-off period on March 1. Photo: Sam Tsang

“The demand for safeguarding consumers’ rights has not dwindled. Maybe due to uncertain economic factors, there will be an even higher chance to see non-ideal situations.”