Customs combats unfair trade practices at a medicine shop

Customs arrested two sales assistants at a medicine shop after they were suspected of engaging in unfair trade practices involving misleading omission in selling Chinese herbal medicine.

Officers earlier received a report from a Mainlander stating that while he was shopping in a pharmacy, one of the employees said his face looked terrible and suggested taking the herb named all-grass of Ribbed Hedyotis.

However, the store employee was suspected of having misled the customer into believing the unit price of the concerned Chinese herbal medicine was calculated per catty.

After the Chinese herbal medicine was ground into powder, the staff members revealed that the medicine was priced per mille, with the charged price being 160 times higher than what was expected.

And the customer had no choice but to buy the medicine, which cost around HK$20,000.

Customs arrested two men aged 31 and 33 of the medicine shop concerned after the investigation.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, Customs stated they will continue to step up inspection and enforcement to vigorously combat unfair trade practices.

Customs reminded traders to comply with the requirements of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance and consumers to purchase products from reputable shops.

The spokesman urged consumers to also be cautious about the unit price and ask for more information, including the total price of the goods selected, before making a purchase decision.