Consumer watchdog sees 11 percent rise in complaints
The Consumer Council on Tuesday said it saw an 11 percent increase in complaints in 2023 from the year before, with more than a third of them related to online shopping platforms. At a press briefing, council chairman Clement Chan put the rise in reports down to the city getting back to normal following the pandemic. Chan said the watchdog received 34,155 complaints in total, with 12,696 relating to online shopping – a 19 percent increase on the number in 2022. Complaints regarding food and entertainment topped the list, followed by telecommunications services and then travel issues. Chan said this came as more people started to dine out and travel abroad again after Covid restrictions were eased. In the last few days, more than 400 complaints have come in about Lionel Messi's failure to play at an Inter Miami exhibition match at Hong Kong Stadium on Sunday, the watchdog said.