Hong Kong beauty centre closure sparks probe into HK$200,000 of prepaid packages
Hong Kong Customs and a consumer watchdog are investigating 22 complaints involving HK$200,000 (US$25,770) in prepaid packages following the abrupt closure of a beauty centre in Fanling, a lawmaker assisting victims has said.
Advertisement
Athena Beauty, located in Cheung Wah Estate in Fanling, was also accused of transferring customers' information without consent to Classic Life, a beauty salon in Tai Po, which allegedly claimed to honour the prepayments and then employed high-pressure sales tactics.
Lawmaker Edward Lau Kwok-fan on Tuesday said that his team had received at least 22 complaints involving over HK$200,000 in prepaid packages since the beauty centre abruptly closed on March 16. Individual victims reported losses ranging between HK$10,000 and HK$20,000.
During a press conference with three victims, Lau estimated that more than 100 people, primarily elderly women, had been affected.
'Athena Beauty informed customers of its closure due to lease issues via WhatsApp messages on the day when it folded. But in the week leading up to the closure, it was still persuading customers to purchase treatment packages,' Lau said.
Advertisement
'Some customers later found out that Athena Beauty had not disclosed having a branch in Ma On Shan. Instead, the company transferred their personal information and remaining prepaid packages to Classic Life. This is a separate company that employed high-pressure sales tactics when customers attempted to redeem their treatments.'
A victim, who only identified herself as Apple, 55, said she tried to use her package bought from Athena Beauty at Classic Life, which later imposed harsh conditions, including unreasonably expensive new treatment prepaid plans.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Standard
3 hours ago
- The Standard
New governance talents program not equal to promotion pass, says Civil Service chief
HK sees 20pc surge in tourist arrivals in May, driven by Labour Day holidays and events
The Standard
6 hours ago
- The Standard
Police arrest 11 in major crackdown on vehicle theft ring
HK sees 20pc surge in tourist arrivals in May, driven by Labour Day holidays and events
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Work-life balance top reason for Hongkongers quitting jobs, survey finds
The primary motivation for Hongkongers who have quit their jobs or are considering resignation is the desire to improve their work-life balance, a recent survey has found, with the proportion rising 5.9 per cent year on year. The annual study, commissioned by major recruitment agency Randstad, surveyed more than 170,000 people globally, including 2,599 in Hong Kong, through online interviews. Among the Hong Kong respondents, 40 per cent were millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, and 20 per cent belonged to Generation Z, born after 1997. According to the results, 38.3 per cent said that 'improving work-life balance' had been one of the motivations for quitting their jobs, while the proportion last year was 32.4 per cent. Other top reasons this year included 'pay does not meet rising cost of living', which was picked by 27.3 per cent of respondents, while 25.2 per cent linked their departure to receiving 'an offer I could not refuse'. Benjamin Elms, managing director at Randstad Hong Kong, said the definition of work-life balance had evolved significantly over the past couple of years. 'What began as a desire to work from home has quickly expanded to include autonomy in managing priorities, having reasonable workloads, clear direction from leadership and good relationships with managers and colleagues,' Elms said.
