Unclear parking rates flagged after Hongkonger charged 7 times more than advertised
Consumer Council says complaints about car-park services have remained persistently high in recent years, with 120 cases recorded in 2025
Some shopping centres in Hong Kong display unclear parking discount terms that often lead to disputes, the consumer watchdog has said, citing a case in which a driver was billed HK$1,210 (US$155) for a full day, more than seven times the advertised rate.
The Consumer Council said on Monday that complaints about car-park services had remained persistently high in recent years, with 120 cases recorded in 2025, reversing a dip to 96 in 2024 and roughly matching the 118 in 2023.
“Most cases were related to price and charging disputes, totalling 205 cases and accounting for 60 per cent of all complaints [over the past three years],” the council’s chief executive Alaina Shum Jiu-fai said.
“Consumers mainly reported situations in which there were supposed parking offers but they were still charged upon exit, or the fees did not match the advertised rates.”
In one complaint, a driver noticed a banner outside a residential estate car park advertising “24-hour unlimited parking” for HK$145 and parked there overnight for about 22 hours.
But when she tried to leave the next evening, she was charged HK$1,210 instead of the advertised rate.