The Consumer Council reported on Tuesday that 6,233 complaints concerning telecommunication services were recorded, with two consecutive years exceeding 3,000 cases.
The watchdog reported that a total of 1,340 complaints were documented during the first half of the year. One particular complainant reported that his elderly father, in his 80s, was oversold a data package with a 67-month contract priced at HK$600 per month. The package encompassed a secondary SIM card, roaming services, and four cloud storage services.
The complainant suspected that the staff member had knowingly upsold his father on unnecessary and expensive services, notably several that were similar in purpose despite knowing that his father neither needed a secondary SIM card nor roaming services.
The telecommunication company agreed to cancel all attached services after an intervention by the consumer watchdog.
In another case, a customer rented a pocket Wi-Fi device during a five-day vacation in Japan; however, the services were non-functional. The company subsequently agreed to refund but indicated that the application would require 365 working days to process from the return date of the device.
The complaint sought assistance from the Consumer Council and despite repeated attempts, the watchdog was unable to reach the concerned company for conciliation.
Due to the company’s lack of response, the Council advised the complainant to seek legal advice and consider redress through other legal means, such as filing a claim with the Small Claims Tribunal.
In a separate case, a customer discovered that his home broadband contract had automatically renewed for two years, which caused him dissatisfaction.
The platform responded that the user needs to notify the company at least 30 days before canceling the contract.
Following the Council’s conciliation, the company agreed to terminate the contract unconditionally, thereby resolving the case.
The Council advised the user to seek advice from friends and relatives before signing the contract, and to review the billing statements or request the telecommunications company to provide a printed copy of the contract.
(Nathan Leung)
