Singaporean’s HK$30,400 herb bill sparks warning over Hong Kong pharmacy malpractices
‘These malpractices not only damage the reputation of Hong Kong’s retail and tourism industries, but also undermine tourists’ confidence,’ watchdog says
Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog recorded 548 complaints against pharmacies over malpractice in the first eight months of this year, including a Singaporean woman who was charged 100 times the normal price for the herbs she bought.
Such “unscrupulous sales practices” could erode tourists’ confidence, the Consumer Council warned on Monday, adding that some of the complaints saw pharmacies and medicine shops accused of deliberately using unclear pricing.
Other tactics included the promotion of imitation products with nearly identical packaging to mislead consumers and discrepancies between receipt descriptions and actual quantities bought, leading to denied refund requests.
“These malpractices not only damage the reputation of Hong Kong’s retail and tourism industries, but also undermine tourists’ confidence in shopping across the city,” the watchdog said.
The council also highlighted how these incidents had persisted despite its public reprimand of four pharmacies in 2023 and multiple enforcement actions taken by the customs department.
The number of complaints recorded from January to August this year showed a slight drop compared with the 556 received in the same period last year. A total of 798 similar complaints were logged throughout 2024, up from 733 the year before.