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The Consumer Council is a statutory body established in April 1974 for
protecting and promoting the interests of consumers of goods and services
and purchasers of immovable property. The council comprises a chairperson,
a vice-chairperson and 20 members appointed by the Government from a wide
spectrum of the community. It forms committees and working groups to deal
with specific consumer protection tasks. The council office is headed
by a chief executive, and has seven functional divisions and a staff of
124.
The council carries out its functions through its
consumer policy work, complaint and advice service, research and survey
programmes, publications and consumer education activities.
The council's testing and survey programmes seek
to provide consumers with objective and up-to-date information so that
they can make informed choices. During the year, 46 product tests, 52
in-depth studies and 16 survey projects were completed. Most products
were tested mainly for their safety, performance, convenience, durability
and environmental impact. The tests and surveys covered a wide range of
products and services, from home theatre components (DVD players, loudspeakers)
and cosmetics to information disclosure by mandatory provident fund scheme
service providers. In regard to products, digital cameras have been continuously
tested in the light of their rising popularity. In view of the sluggish
economy, the council also conducted a series of studies on consumer credit
such as debt relief solutions, charges and services of professionals for
voluntary insolvency. As a member of the International Consumer Research
and Testing Ltd, a testing body of consumer organisations, the council
shares its test results and collaborates with members on international
comparative tests, producing quality reports in a more cost-effective
manner.
The council provides complaint and advice services
to the community through an extensive network of telephone hotlines and
11 Consumer Advice Centres. It acts as mediator between consumers and
the traders concerned. During the year, 26 501 consumer complaints and
140 484 consumer enquiries were received, the highest figure on record.
Telecommunications services continued to top the list of consumer complaints.
In view of the importance of competitive markets
to consumer welfare, the council conducts research, disseminates information
and tenders advice on competition-related issues. The council's chief
executive is a member of the Competition Policy Advisory Group, and the
council made a number of submissions in response to public consultation
papers that raised issues affecting competition. The council also published
a research study on the state of competition in the retailing of foodstuffs
and household necessities, and disseminated an advisory guideline on how
to identify and prevent the anti-competitive practice of 'bid-rigging',
for use by parties seeking tenders.
The council is practically in daily contact with
the mass media on all matters of consumer interest and concern. Its monthly
magazine, CHOICE, regularly publishes findings of comparative product
tests and service surveys providing useful and practical information,
advice and viewpoints to the public. The magazine's reach extends far
beyond its average monthly circulation of 31 298, penetrating virtually
all sectors of the community through extensive media coverage and press
statements published at the council's website. The Consumer Rights Reporting
Awards 2003 continued to attract entries of high quality from journalists
in all sectors of the media. The award presentation ceremony of this annual
event was held on the World Consumer Rights Day, which falls on March
15 every year.
The fourth Consumer Culture Study Award organised
during the year encouraged secondary school students to conduct their
own studies of the local consumer culture. A total of 360 teams, comprising
2 300 students from 91 schools, participated in this programme.
The Consumer Council Resource Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui,
which has been operating since 2002, provides consumer complaint and advice
services, a resource library and multimedia computers by which visitors
can access educational resources. Talks, visits and workshops were also
organised at the centre.
The Consumer Legal Action Fund aims to give greater
consumer access to legal remedies and to provide legal assistance to consumers
with meritorious cases. The fund, with the council as its trustee, is
administered by a board of administrators underpinned by a management
committee with members appointed by the Government. Since its establishment
in 1994, the fund has considered 58 groups of cases, with the number of
applicants in each case ranging from one to more than 800.
In networking, the council is an executive and a council
member of the Consumers International (CI), of which its chief executive
is former President. The CI is a federation of 271 consumer organisations
in 123 countries dedicated to the protection and promotion of consumer
interests. The council also maintains regular contacts with its counterparts
overseas and in the Mainland. During the year, 293 officials from various
parts of the Mainland visited the council's office as part of their training
programmes and there were also visitors from other consumer organisations
and international bodies.
The Customs and Excise Department carries out spot checks and investigations
to ensure that toys, children's products and consumer goods supplied in
Hong Kong are safe. It also has responsibilities in protecting consumers
from fraudulent traders who offer goods of deceptive weights and measures
or products made of gold and platinum that have deceptive markings. In
2003, the department carried out 3 563 spot checks and 1 062 investigations.
It also organised talks for traders to promote their awareness of product
safety.
In the area of consumer protection, the Government
Laboratory continues to support the Customs and Excise Department in enforcing
the product safety legislation. In 2003, the Laboratory undertook more
than 21 000 tests to determine whether or not the various tested items
including toys, children's products and consumer goods were in compliance
with relevant safety standards. In particular, urgent hygienic tests on
a large number of personal protective products such as face masks, disposable
towels and latex gloves were carried out. Assessments of potential hazards
posed by commodities that failed the safety tests were also conducted.
In the investigation of fraudulent trade practices, the Laboratory continued
its role in verification of measuring equipment for use by traders and
determination of fineness of gold and platinum articles. |
