90% of the industry’s opposition to the law
The government’s public consultation on the mandatory cooling-off legislation for the beauty and fitness industry ended last month. The “Cosmetics Cooling Period Legislation Concern Group”, which was jointly formed by a number of beauty industry associations, announced a questionnaire survey yesterday. The results reflect that more than 90% of the operators or managers of beauty-related industries consider the operation after the mandatory cooling-off period legislation. The environment will become more difficult. More than 60% of consumers are also opposed to mandatory cooling-off legislation. It is recommended that the Government put aside the mandatory cooling-off legislation and the industry will provide a voluntary cooling-off period.
Industry worry
During the cooling period of the beauty industry, the Legislative Concern Group conducted a “Public Health Industry Mandatory Cooling Period Legislative Public Opinion Survey” from March 21 to April 30 this year. It sent out questionnaires to industry operators and managers through the Chamber of Commerce and patronized in the past year. Consumers in the beauty or related industries have successfully interviewed 1,068 industry insiders and 1,109 consumers. The results show that 88% of the industry insiders worry that the bank will further tighten credit card restrictions after the cooling-off period, including increasing the deposit and administrative fees of the account, and extending the payment period; 99% are worried that customers will abuse the regulations and ask for a refund without any reason. .
Concerned Group spokesman Leung Mei-ying continued to refer to a more difficult operating environment. Sixty-seven percent of the industry will reduce the provision of discounts to maintain cash flow after legislation; nearly half of the business is considered to end the business, as nearly 90% of the industry is 10 The following SMEs, the concern group believes that the proportion of closing business may be as high as 70%, which has caused a heavy blow to consumers and the industry as a whole.
Shao Jiahui: It is enough to set a cooling-off period.
In addition, nearly 90% of the industry’s industry disagrees with the mandatory cooling-off period of the government’s legislation. Consumers are not very concerned about the cooling-off legislation. Consumers who visit beauty or related industries are in turn good service or products, word of mouth, price and location. The cooling-off period is only 5%; nearly half of the consumers believe that the establishment of a cooling-off refund mechanism by the industry is sufficient.
The Honourable Member of the Liberal Party, Mr Siu Ka-fai, believes that the beauty industry in Hong Kong provides many women with opportunities for self-reliance. If it is to combat a few black sheep, it is extremely unfair to set a mandatory cooling-off period across the board and to pull most of the law-abiding beauty salons and practitioners into the water. For the bad and illegal sales practices, the Government should also find ways to enforce the law and consider improving the Trade Descriptions Ordinance. It is believed that it is sufficient for the industry to set up a cooling-back refund mechanism.
Consumer Council: It must be resolved in a multi-pronged manner
The Consumer Council responded that no single solution can solve all problems. To eliminate bad sales practices, we must adopt a multi-pronged approach, including enacting legislation, strengthening regulation, self-discipline and strict compliance with laws and regulations, and strengthening consumer education.
The Consumer Council stresses that the high-pressure sales practices of the beauty industry have always been criticized. The establishment of a mandatory cooling-off period can increase the deterrent effect on unscrupulous merchants, enhance the protection of consumer rights, and rebuild the image of the industry and consumer confidence in the long run. As regards law enforcement issues such as abuse, the Consumer Council considers that the Government’s proposals have been fully considered and balanced. It is also hoped that the industry will adopt an open-ended attitude and allow the legislative work of the mandatory cooling-off period to be implemented as soon as possible.