Seven Day Cooling-off Period Mooted For 3 Trades

The Consumer Council has proposed imposing a mandatory cooling-off period for the beauty and fitness industries and time-share schemes.

The watchdog said it has received numerous complaints about unscrupulous sales tactics adopted by these sectors in recent years, and there's a need to step up the protection of consumer rights as soon as possible.

The chairman of the council, Wong Yuk-shan, said the cooling-off period should be for at least seven days so that consumers will have a chance to change their minds.

The refund process, meanwhile, should be completed within 14 days, he said.

The Consumer Council added that companies should bear civil liabilities if they violate the requirement. It called on the government to appoint a specific statutory body to enforce the law.

Civic Party legislator Kwok Ka-ki said he had already spotted loopholes in the proposals. He noted that beauty parlour and gym contracts lasting less than six months would not be protected, and said companies could use this to get round the future legislation.

"We need to have a kind of licensing system for these beauty parlours and also these fitness centres," Kwok said.

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Edward Yau, said on Wednesday that the government plans to submit a draft bill on the cooling period this year.