By Darius
From my personal observation, most tourists visiting Hong Kong want to purchase some local specialties to bring home, with Chinese herbal medicines and various proprietary Chinese medicines often being popular choices. However, plenty of tourists have unpleasant shopping experiences or even fall into pricing traps when purchasing such products at pharmacies due to various unexpected reasons.
Recently, the Consumer Council published three complaint cases, one of which involved a Singaporean tourist. While selecting facial cleanser products at a pharmacy, the tourist was aggressively persuaded by a shop assistant to purchase a certain type of herbal medicine. The shop assistant did not clearly explain the pricing unit or total cost, only verbally stating that it would "cost around three hundred dollars." Without verifying the details, the complainant agreed to purchase the product. Unexpectedly, the shop assistant quickly ground the herbs into powder and only then announced the total price: a huge HK$30,400. Although the Council later intervened and successfully secured a refund on the grounds of "misleading pricing," such an experience undoubtedly leaves tourists with a negative impression of Hong Kong's shopping environment.
One of my relatives had an almost identical experience. Without confirming the pricing unit and total amount, he purchased some herbal medicine, thinking it would cost around HK$1,000, but ended up unknowingly paying HK$6,000. Later, he realized that the price difference between units was enormous, and the shop assistant had deliberately obscured this critical information during the sales pitch. He lamented that he had clearly fallen for a "scam."
Although such sales tactics are deceptive, they are often difficult to classify as fraud legally. Some merchants then exploit the information asymmetry between Hong Kong and tourists from other regions regarding the pricing and quality of herbal medicines, employing a set of persuasive language and procedures to persuade tourists to consume, thereby reaping exorbitant profits. Moreover, some customers have found that the recommended medicines were not as advertised—or were even complete imitations—resembling the genuine product in appearance but being entirely different medications. Such practices not only harm consumer rights but also, to some extent, undermine Hong Kong's reputation as a "shopping paradise" and its overall image.
Although Hong Kong has a relatively well-established consumer protection mechanism, such as the mediation services provided by the Council, many tourists still fall victim due to language barriers, unfamiliarity with local market practices, or impulsive shopping. Despite the numerous "warning posts" shared by netizens on social media platforms in recent years, tourists who are not proficient in using social media or lack access to relevant information can still easily be tricked.
This also highlights that relying solely on preemptive measures and post-incident remedies is insufficient. There is a need to strengthen regulations for merchants, improve price transparency, and provide clearer consumption guidelines for tourists. Otherwise, similar disputes will continue to occur, ultimately affecting the long-term healthy development of Hong Kong's tourism industry.
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