Tourist shoppers have fueled a rise in complaints to the Consumer Council regarding drugs, medicines and supplements, with most cases involving lookalike products and confusing pricing units.
The watchdog received 1,190 related complaints in the first seven months of this year, marking a 50 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Speaking on a radio program on Wednesday, the Council’s director of complaints and advice Liza Fung Tsz-yan said the rise was related to tourists' preference for buying medicated oils and Chinese herbal medicines in Hong Kong for personal use or gifts.
Among the over 900 complaints about suspected counterfeit drugs since 2023, Fung noted that half came from tourists, with some cases involving consumers who only discovered the products differed from what staff had described after returning to the mainland.
As for the 125 complaints over misleading pricing units in the first seven months of this year, she highlighted cases where "catty‑to‑mace tactics" were used.
She believes there may be a few bad apples in the industry, urging the industry to exercise self-discipline.
To avoid the common sales pitfalls, she reminded tourists not to make impulse purchases and to pay close attention to pricing units when approached by sales staff.
She also advised consumers to clearly state the brand name of the medicine when purchasing, verifying the registration number and anti-counterfeiting features.
