Govt To Propose Law On Cooling-off Period

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2018-04-18 HKT 17:07

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• Govt to propose law on cooling-off period

The government said on Wednesday that it plans to introduce a mandatory cooling-off period for the sale of certain products and services.

But it noted that it is "not practical" to implement it across all trades.

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Edward Yau, said the proposal is aimed at protecting consumer rights amid an increase in the number of complaints over unscrupulous sales tactics.

In particular, he said there have been many complaints about fitness centres and beauty parlours, with huge amounts of money involved, and with some contracts"disproportionately long".

Yau said he hopes the legislative framework can avoid what he called "unnecessary worries" from the business sector. He said officials will try to submit a proposal to Legco before the end of this legislative year.

The idea is something the Consumer Council has been calling for years. The watchdog will unveil more details about the proposal on Thursday.