In a city reliant on smartphones, the Consumer Council has flagged inconsistent pricing in shared power bank rentals, with fees varying by 1.3 times depending on the station location.
The watchdog carried out 48 rental and return trials across eight major mobile-based platforms between November and December last year, covering weekdays, weekends, and various districts in the city.
Price gaps in same area
Among the six platforms that set charges according to station location or partner merchants, substantial price differences were observed even within the same neighborhood.
For example, on the AICharge platform, a 30-minute rental ranged from HK$3 to HK$6.80—a variation of up to 1.3 times—depending on the station.
HICharge showed a 2.3-fold difference in daily cap fees, while WeCharge HK displayed varying rates and caps between stations located just a few shops apart.
One platform that charges on a daily basis also imposed additional fees for rentals slightly exceeding 24 hours.
Inaccurate GPS navigation or incomplete station data
All eight platforms provided map navigation, but seven suffered from inaccuracies such as reversed routes, misplaced station pins, or incorrect starting points.
Four platforms using mini-programs performed better with Amap but struggled with other mapping systems, while the four with dedicated apps showed the opposite pattern.
Five out of nine platforms listed incorrect or incomplete station information. In one Kwai Chung case, a station was described as “2/F” with a store photo but no unit number, rendering it impossible to find.
In Prince Edward, a correct address was given, but the pin was placed in Mong Kok.
At North Point Ferry Pier, a station listed on the East Pier was actually inside the West Pier gate, inaccessible to non-passengers.
Misleading operating hours
Two platforms displayed misleading operating hours, with on-site checks revealing stations closing an hour earlier than advertised.
Several others used vague descriptions such as “24-hour operation” or weekday-only hours without clarifying weekend or holiday arrangements.
Six platforms required users to physically reach a station before revealing full pricing details, including hourly rates, daily caps, and deposit requirements.
Only a few offered clear upfront fee information; two platforms revealed prices only after scanning a QR code, while others showed outdated or inconsistent rates.
The consumer watchdog urged service providers to clearly display all rental fees, daily caps, and deposit arrangements on their operational pages to improve pricing transparency and enable easier comparisons.
It also called for prompt updates to ensure station addresses, coordinates, shop names, and business hours are accurate, thereby reducing disputes caused by incorrect information.
