New Plastic Bag Levy Takes Top Place for “Top 10 Consumer News – Year of the Tiger” Voting Campaign Teletubby Incident Declared “Most Outrageous” Consumer Council’s RAT Search Tool “Most Liked”

The results of the “Top 10 Consumer News – Year of the Tiger” voting campaign organised by the Consumer Council were announced today (6 February). The campaign attracted a total of 4,750 voters. At the top of the list with 3,463 votes was the newly implemented plastic bag levy owing to its far-reaching impact to consumers, while pandemic-related news stories took up 5 spots amongst the top 10, including rapid antigen test (RAT) kits, flight arrangements, consumption vouchers, and shop closures. 2 were related to online shopping, namely the surge in online scams and the network-congesting online sales of concert tickets. The “Teletubby incident”, in which a $30,000 compensation was imposed by the trader on the boy who allegedly knocked over the figure, not only received the second-highest number of votes (3,315 votes) within the top 10, but was also voted as the “Most Outrageous” consumer news by the public. The voting results, which covers a diverse range of news topics from pandemic-related issues to far beyond, reflected consumers’ key concerns spanning the critical period from the peak of COVID-19 to post-pandemic recovery.

    As society starts to get back on track with the easing of the pandemic, the “Top 10 Consumer News” result announcement and awards presentation ceremony resumed in-person format at the Council headquarters after being live-streamed for the past 2 years. Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, thanked the public for their support during his welcome speech, “It has been almost 20 years since the ‘Top 10 Consumer News’ was launched in 2005. We are grateful for the public’s longstanding support, and we are particularly pleased by the overwhelming voting numbers despite during the pandemic and this era of information overload.”

The plastic bag levy, having been in force for many years, was doubled from $0.5 to $1 starting from 31 December 2022 with the aim of further reducing the use of plastic bags by consumers. The news story “Plastic Bag Levy Raised to $1  Frozen/Chilled Foodstuff No Longer Exempt” topped the list with 3,463 votes received, accounting for 73% of the total number of voters. A staunch advocate of sustainable consumption, the Council is pleased to see the plastic bag levy voted as the top consumer news, as it is indicative of the heightened importance and practice of sustainable consumption in consumers’ everyday life.

    The second-ranking news story was of a wholly different nature but garnered just as much public attention. Last year, a boy accidentally knocked over a large cartoon figure in a toy store, and the trader sought a compensation of $30,000 from the parents. After the incident went viral on the internet and sparked heated discussion amongst netizens, the trader issued a refund to the parents and apologised. The news story “Controversial $30,000 Compensation Imposed on Boy Knocking Over Teletubby Figure  Trader Refunded and Apologised” received 3,315 votes, making it the second-highest consumer news. It was also selected as the “Most Outrageous” consumer news with 3,308 votes, equivalent to 70% of the total number of voters. Although the incident was uncommon, as news of the incident was swiftly circulated online, many consumers might have formed a bad impression of the trader based on such reports, even those who had no prior knowledge of the trader. When handling disputes and emergencies, traders are recommended to adopt a more agile and flexible approach while providing high quality consumer service, so as to uphold their brand reputation. In the event of such incidents, consumers should stay calm and communicate thoroughly with the trader to reach a resolution.

Owing to the fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreak in early 2022, many pandemic-related news items made it into the top 10, including the vivid scenes of panic-buying RAT kits during the height of the pandemic. The RAT kits available on the market at the time were inconsistent in quality, while some unscrupulous traders even took advantage of the situation and hiked up product prices. In light of this, the Council launched the “Search Tool for Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) Approved for Use by Various Regions” in March, allowing consumers to quickly verify the certification of products. “Inconsistent RAT Quality Sparks 48 Complaint Cases  Consumer Council Launches Online Search Tool for Speedy Approved List Reference” ranked sixth amongst the Year of the Tiger’s top 10 consumer news with 3,008 votes, and was simultaneously selected as the “Most Liked” news at 2,120 votes. The third- and seventh-ranking news stories were both related to air travel, an industry hard hit by the pandemic. Despite the increased demand for outbound travel after the “0+3” policy came into effect, flights were cancelled possibly due to airline companies’ resource allocation woes. “70% Surge in Outbound Travellers First Month After ‘0+3’ in Effect  HK Express Abruptly Cancels Multiple Flights with Tickets Sold” ranked third with 3,199 votes received, while at seventh place with 2,847 votes was the news about the shortage of domestic helpers in Hong Kong in the early stages of the pandemic, when the oft-triggered flight circuit breaker resulted in many flight cancellations. To further boost consumption, the Government launched the second phase of the electronic consumption vouchers and added new disbursement platforms, allowing consumers to shop from home. This news item obtained 2,682 votes and ranked at number 8. Unfortunately, the past year also saw a number of shop closures, amongst which the abrupt shuttering of a bakery chain triggered widespread discussion online. Allegedly still promoting and selling cake vouchers before its closure, the bakery was suspected to have violated the Trade Descriptions Ordinance. This news story ranked ninth with 2,641 votes received.

Online shopping has become an essential part of consumers’ daily life under the pandemic, leading to a subsequent surge in online scams. “Online Shopping Scams Hit 6,050 Cases Within First 3 Quarters of 2022  Over 40% Year-on-year Increase” received 3,159 votes and ranked fourth on the list. Concert tickets are another popular commodity often purchased online. To combat ticket scalping, some concert organisers have launched real-name registration for purchasing tickets. The fifth-ranking headline “MIRROR Coliseum Concert Debuts Real-name Ticketing  Website Congestion on First Day of Sales  Tickets Sold Out in 11 Hours” garnered 3,020 votes. Despite the technical challenges during the process, the introduction of new sales modes on the market could help create a fairer consumption environment and provide better safeguard for consumer rights.

    Housing is another indispensable aspect of daily life apart from clothing, food and transport. The last news item of the Top 10 Consumer News voting campaign, receiving a total of 2,583 votes, was related to the living environment in Hong Kong. A subdivided-flat landlord was fined for overcharging his tenant on the water bill, making it the first conviction case since the new rent control legislation came into effect. This news headline concurrently became the “Most Gratifying” consumer news with 2,633 votes, reflecting the public’s anticipation for fairer treatment towards consumers under legislative protection.

The “Top 10 Consumer News” voting campaign aims to raise public awareness of consumer rights and strengthen consumers’ self-protection ability through public voting of consumer news. From the very first year, media partners have been invited as supporting organisations, collaborating with the Council to drive consumer education. This year, the voting campaign was held from 4 to 24 January 2023 with the generous support of Radio Television Hong Kong, HK01, i-Cable News, Hong Kong Economic Times, SkyPost, TOPick and U Magazine. Successful voters were automatically enrolled in the lucky draw, while prizes were drawn according to the 3 voting phases with 10 winners per stage, each receiving a HK$200 gift card. The “Final Lucky Draw” comprised a Grand Prize, Second Prize and Third Prize, with a HK$5,000 gift card awarded to the Grand Prize winner. The lucky draw results were announced in The Standard and Hong Kong Economic Times on 2 February 2023. All winners were invited to attend the awards presentation ceremony today.

“Top 10 Consumer News – Year of the Tiger” Voting Results and Ranking:

Consumer News Hot Topics Results:

Fan, Chan & Co served as the honorary auditor for this voting event.