Skip to main content

Consumer Complaint Form

Notice to Complainants

 

  1. If you have disputes with a trader regarding a product or service you purchased, you are encouraged to contact and negotiate with the trader direct for a quick and effective way of settlement. If the negotiation with the trader is in vain, you are welcome to lodge a complaint with the Consumer Council. We would help conciliate a settlement between you and the trader.
  2. Please fill in the form with details of your complaint, including your name, correspondence address/email address, contact telephone number, trader’s information, details of the transaction and the supporting documents (such as sales receipt, contract, payment voucher, credit card payment slips or monthly statement, etc.). If the information provided is found insufficient to conduct a conciliation, your case may not be processed and may be kept on files for research purposes and future reference.
  3. The Council helps resolve complaints by way of conciliation. The Council is not a law enforcement agency and is not vested with the power of investigation or adjudication. Settlement of disputes relies heavily on voluntary cooperation of the trader concerned and mutual understanding of the parties involved. The outcome of conciliation therefore may not be the same as your expectation. If the dispute remains unresolved after conciliation, you may consider taking other legal actions against the trader concerned (for example, civil claims).
  4. During the process of conciliation and upon successful conciliation, you are required to follow up directly with the relevant traders regarding the return, delivery, collection and/or exchange of any products and the refund and /or payment of any sums. Please do not give any goods or cash/cheque/cash coupons to our staff. 
  5. The Council is a statutory body charged with protecting and promoting the interests of consumers of goods and services and purchasers, mortgagors and lessees of immovable property.  Its statutory functions include:
    1. collecting, receiving and disseminating information concerning goods, services and immovable property, such as publication of case information in the Council’s CHOICE magazine, articles, social media or other medium;
    2. receiving and examining complaints by and giving advice to consumers of goods and services and purchasers, mortgagors and lessees of immovable property;
    3. taking such action as it thinks justified by information in its possession, including tendering advice to the Government or to any public officer;
    4. encouraging business and professional associations to establish codes of practice to regulate the activities of their members; and
    5. undertaking such other functions to achieve its objectives.
  6. The information, documents and materials provided by you in connection with your complaint (Case Information) is graded as confidential but may be used by the Council for the purpose of carrying out one or more of its statutory functions (“Purposes”), including without limitation:
    1. consider, respond to and take follow up action in respect of your complaint and your application to the Consumer Legal Action Fund (CLAF) (if any);
    2. publish depersonalized case information in the Council’s CHOICE magazine, articles, social media or other medium;
    3. disclose the Case Information to the relevant Government Departments, related authorities and organizations, as well as other agencies which are authorized to receive the Council’s advice on matters of consumer interest and/or information relating to law enforcement, prosecution and review of decisions;
    4. process other complaints or CLAF applications arising from incidents against the same trader;
    5. conduct studies into matters concerning consumer interests in Hong Kong and/or for other research and statistical purposes; 
    6. conduct product/service testing and research into matters concerning consumer interests in Hong Kong; and
    7. in order to improve the services of the Consumer Council’s Complaints and Advice Division, invite you to provide feedback by way of surveys or other means, and/or reaching out to you.
  7. In connection with the Purposes, the Council may disclose the Case Information to its service providers to process the same strictly in accordance with the Council’s instructions and on the Council’s behalf.
  8. Your personal data contained in the Case Information or otherwise provided to us will not be used, published or disclosed unless (1) it is for a purpose stated in the Personal Information Collection Statement (PICS), (2) an exemption under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance applies, (3) the disclosure is required by law or (4) with your consent.

 

Personal Information Collection Statement

 

  1. The personal data provided in the complaint form or otherwise by you in connection with your complaint may be used by the Council for one or more of the purposes specified below:
    1. to consider, respond to, and take follow up action in respect of your complaint and your application to CLAF (if any);
    2. to process other complaints or CLAF applications arising from incidents against the same trader;
    3. to conduct studies into matters concerning consumer interests in Hong Kong and/or for other research and statistical purposes;
    4. to conduct product/service testing and research into matters concerning consumer interests in Hong Kong; 
    5. in order to improve the services of the Consumer Council’s Complaints and Advice Division, invite you to provide feedback by way of surveys or other means, and/or reaching out to you; and
    6. other purposes related to the discharge of the Council’s statutory functions. 
  2. The Council may disclose the information, documents, material and personal data supplied by you to parties who will be involved in handling the complaint, including the trader being complained against, relevant Government Departments, related authorities and organizations, as well as other agencies which are authorized to receive the Council’s advice on matters of consumer interest and/or information relating to law enforcement, prosecution and review of decisions. In connection with the Purposes, the Council may also disclose your personal data to its service providers to process the same strictly in accordance with the Council’s instructions and on the Council’s behalf.
  3. The personal data supplied by you will not be kept longer than is necessary for the fulfillment of the purposes for which the data is or is to be used.
  4. You have the right to request access to and correction of your personal data submitted to the Council. Should you wish to do so, please make your request in writing to the Compliance and Administration Officer at the Council address, with the complaint case number quoted (if applicable). The Council may charge you a fee for the processing of the data access request on a cost-based approach. Please refer to the Privacy Policy of the Council. The original of this complaint form and any material provided will not be returned to you.
Save as PDF File