# Hong Kong pharmaceutical and health product consumer issues > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/hong-kong-pharmaceutical-and-health-product-consumer-issues > Updated: 2026-08-24T05:00:24.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2. 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. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-24: 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 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ccpc-reports-surge-in-consumer-complaints-over-faulty-goods ### 2026-08-18: 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. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/consumer-council-warns-of-rising-pharmaceutical-and-health-product-sales-traps --- Cite as: Hong Kong pharmaceutical and health product consumer issues. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/hong-kong-pharmaceutical-and-health-product-consumer-issues