Hong Kong beauty centre closure sparks probe into HK$200,000 of prepaid packages
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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.
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'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.
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