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2 clusters · 4 sources · 7 days · First seen · Last updated

Hong Kong pharmaceutical and health product consumer issues

Overview

The Consumer Council in Hong Kong reported a 51% surge in complaints regarding medicines, Chinese herbal medicines, and health products during the first seven months of the year, totaling 1,190 cases. Approximately 40% of these complaints involved tourists.

Two primary sales traps were identified: the use of “imitation products” with packaging and names similar to well-known brands to mislead consumers, and confusing pricing units for Chinese herbal medicines. The latter involves switching between “catty” (jin) and “tael” (liang) to inflate costs; in one instance, a customer was charged 22,400 HKD for a product they expected would cost 140 HKD.

Additional reported issues include discrepancies in supplement pill quantities, online pharmaceutical refund delays, and disputes over expiration dates. The Council also noted a 19% increase in complaints regarding electrical appliances, specifically air conditioners, involving disputes between retailers and agents over quality and refunds.

Entities

Ryanair · JD Sports · Rathwood · Competition and Consumer Protection Commission · Aoibhín de Búrca

Timeline

  1. 20 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    CCPC reports surge in consumer complaints over faulty goods

    The CCPC reported 22,724 helpline contacts in early 2026, citing faulty goods and pricing as top concerns. The watchdog also secured €250,000 in unspent credit for JD Sports customers.

  2. 26 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Consumer Council warns of rising pharmaceutical and health product sales traps

    The Consumer Council reports a 51% rise in complaints for medicines and health products, highlighting traps like imitation brands and misleading pricing units used to inflate costs.

Sources

dongeradeel.nl · stheadline.com · techbuzzireland.com · thejournal.ie