Warning on ceiling lights mounted to flammable surface
The Consumer Council has issued a warning on mounting lighting fixtures to ceilings of flammable materials.
In a test on 12 models of household luminaires of the type with the main body covering the ceiling, the Council has found all but 2 of the samples to cause hazardous overheating of the surface of the flammable ceiling.
The test showed that the ceiling temperatures for all samples in question exceeded the limit in the relevant international standard, which is set at a temperature of 90°C. The overheating by 2 of the samples even reached beyond 200°C!
This poses a potential risk of the flammable materials of the ceiling to which the lighting appliance is mounted, being ignited and set aflame.
In addition to the potential fire risk, overheating may also cause damage to the appliance itself resulting in short-circuit, electric shock or shattered light bulbs.
With only one exception, none of these samples carried any warning statement for mounting to flammable surface or ceiling.
Of the 12 samples, 4 of the models used tungsten halogen lamp tubes which are generally of a higher power (wattage) than normal incandescent bulbs, and generate more heat.
Halogen tungsten tubes when broken could smash into small pieces. As such they need to be provided with protective glass shields, but few came with the warning to consumers to replace such security screens when damaged.
For safety, consumers are strongly advised:
- NEVER use light bulbs of a higher wattage than the stated rating, since most light appliances operate only to their designed limit.
- NEVER agree to any suggestion (by the salesperson) of modification such as by the addition of a lampholder. The additional bulb could significantly heat up both the luminaire and the surrounding area further.
In the same test, the Council also examined the electrical safety of 5 samples of the type hanging from the ceiling with multiple lampshades.
Although all samples passed the earthing test, the design of earthing terminal was identified to be a weakness for many of the samples: many of the terminals were not properly connected and/or locked in position. The problem is more acute for models with multiple lampshades as the branches are all electrically wired.
Another common deficiency was with insufficient marking and instructions. Some had no marking whatsoever.
Other deviations from the standard included: insufficient protection to the insulation of wiring, lack of terminal block protection (inadequate separation from the metal enclosure of the appliance), use of inappropriate wiring devices, breakage of glass shade on even slight impact, lack of strain relief to exposed wiring. All of these could increase the risk of electric shock and/or mechanical hazards.
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department has cautioned consumers against any attempt to install fixed luminaires to ceiling or wall by themselves.
If the shop does not provide installation service, consumers should employ registered electrical technician to carry out the task. Improper installation greatly increases the potential risk of electric shock and the whole luminaire tumbling down.
Council calls for safeguards in consumer credit information
The Consumer Council has put forward a package of recommendations to safeguard the accuracy of consumer credit information.
This followed a study of the current practice of the Credit Information Services (CIS), a privately-owned agency providing credit reference reports on individuals and firms to its 95 members comprising banks, finance companies and credit card providers.
Members share credit information they provide to CIS, to help assess the creditworthiness of the consumers in processing credit applications and credit reviews. Each month, CIS processed more than 540,000 credit checks requested by its members.
In the present economic situation, consumers with unfavourable credit records held against them will experience difficulty in obtaining loan and credit. This has led to credit applications being turned down and loans recalled for immediate repayment.
Concerns have been raised on the accuracy and timeliness in updating of personal credit data. Further, the levy by CIS of a handling fee of $150 is considered a disincentive for consumers to access their own credit information to verify accuracy.
Consumers have the right to access their own personal credit data with CIS, and seek correction if errors are detected.
According to CIS, during the 3-month period between March and May this year, it received a total of 1,584 consumer requests for personal data access. Subsequently, correction (on data provided by CIS members) was requested with regard to 99 records of which 82 were amended. Often a credit report contains more than one record.
Also, requests for updates (on public records collected by CIS such as those from the High Court and the District Court with regard to bankruptcies, discharge of bankruptcy, and legal actions for debt recovery) were received in respect of 422 records of which 343 were subsequently updated upon the production of documentary proof by the consumers.
Consumers are strongly urged to take the initiative to approach CIS to update public records collected by the agency on them since CIS has no right to access to the outcome of court cases. It is therefore in the interest of consumers themselves to initiate such action.
In light of the consumer concerns, the Consumer Council has put forward to the industry a number of recommendations:
- Steps should be taken to shorten the time for the update of consumer credit information .
Generally, CIS members update the CIS database on a monthly basis. During the transitional period, a debtor who has repaid the loan would not have the information updated in the CIS database. As a result, the other CIS members may assess the debtor's creditworthiness incorrectly to his detriment, on the basis of the outdated information. - Every due care should be taken in the use of all of the records to avoid any possibility of mistaken identification.
For instance, public records which do not contain Hong Kong Identity Card numbers, are classified in the CIS reports as 'matched' if both name and address are identical as those of an individual concerned, and as 'unmatched' if only the name is the same.
Due to the possibility of mistaken identification, data users should have the responsibility to use such information with caution and always make crosschecks to verify the information with their own and with the consumer concerned. - Consideration should be given to the refund of the $150 credit report handling charge if consumers should sustain loss (in credibility, monetary or others) due to the inaccuracy of the CIS credit reports or as a result of the credit providers using the information without due care, or for whatever reasons which are not the fault of the consumers.
- Consideration should be given to the practice in some countries in that one can obtain a free credit report from the credit reference agency under certain circumstances, such as when one's credit application is denied. In such a case, one has the right to access his or her own credit information and the agency is obligated to allow easy access to the credit information without charge.
CIS and its members are reminded to act strictly in accordance with the Code of Practice on Consumer Credit Data, in the handling of credit data and the provision of credit reports.
Moreover, for those consumers whose credit applications have been denied due to errors in their credit information, they are entitled to ask the credit providers to reconsider on the basis of the rectified credit reports.
BMIS to boost metering and billing integrity in telecom services
What are the chances of one being billed inaccurately for telecom services?
To enhance consumer confidence, a new Billing and Metering Integrity Scheme (BMIS) has recently been introduced for the compliance of telecom service suppliers from January 2003 onward.
Under the scheme, there is only a one-in-a-10,000 chance that a phone call may be inaccurately metered and billed.
But if that should happen, your loss will be minimal. The scheme requires operators to compile with the Billing Integrity Standard that "the error value of the inaccurately billed calls in a bill shall not exceed 1 in 10,000 of the value of the total bill sum in that bill".
In other words, in the event of a $10,000 bill, the error will not cost you more than $1; while in the case of a $100 bill, 1 cent or less.
Such metering and billing integrity standards are developed in line with the best practices and standards by other countries.
The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) has the responsibility to ensure that the standards will be complied with by telecom operators. The scheme is drawn up by OFTA in conjunction with the telecom industry and the Consumer Council
Consumer complaints related to charge disputes on telecom services have been on the rise as the market rapidly expands. In 1996, the Consumer Council received a total of 96 complaints related to telephone/fax (10), IDD/long distance call (26), mobile phone (39), internet (8), paging (13).
By 2001, the statistics on telecom charge disputes have totalled 2,628 complaints with telephone/fax (163), IDD/long distance call (98), mobile phone (1,618), internet (673), paging (7), SIM/roaming card (7), prepaid calling card (46), others (16). In the first 6 months of this year, there were 1,193 cases so far.
The BMIS is essentially a self-appraisal procedure requiring telecom operators and service providers to conduct tests on their billing and metering systems every month, and report to OFTA whether they are in compliance with the standards and requirements set out in the Quality Assurance Manual of the scheme quarterly.
Under the scheme, operators are also required to employ Certified Public Accountants to give assurance that they are following the testing procedure. In addition, OFTA will perform on-site check on operators' billing and metering systems if necessary.
Increasingly, it is becoming extremely difficult, if not impossible, for consumers to evaluate the bill accuracy in complicated electronic systems in many services they use nowadays.
The Consumer Council calls on other service providers to voluntarily adopting similar kind of self-appraisal and assurance procedure on their metering and billing systems to enhance transparency and confidence of consumers.
Rechargeable batteries:a win-win option for both consumers and environment
Use rechargeable batteries - to not only save money but also reduce solid wastes.
Here are some of the facts, based on a Consumer Council test on 18 models of NiMH (nickel metal hydride) rechargeable batteries, that show the benefits to both the consumers and the environment:
- Rechargeable batteries performed better on "heavy continuous drain" devices (e.g. motor toy car, digital camera); they lasted longer than alkaline batteries on a single charge.
- Rechargeable batteries may not last as long as alkaline batteries on a single charge in low drain (e.g. radio), medium drain (MD player), and pulse drain devices (photoflash); but NiMH batteries can be reused over several hundred times while alkaline batteries can be used only once.
- Take, for instance, the case of a MD player that uses one AA size rechargeable battery. The cost saving in operating the device for 2,000 hours is as much as 50% of the total purchase price of alkaline batteries used.
- While the rechargeable battery is still usable and has not created any solid waste, as many as 51 alkaline batteries have been spent for the entire duration of the operation and produced waste of an equal number of used batteries.
- So, the longer the rechargeable battery operates the more the cost saving - and solid waste reduction.
- No mercury was found in NiMH rechargeable batteries, and the cadmium and lead contents were within the limit of EC Directive.
Consumers are advised that normally, the stored energy of a rechargeable battery decreases during storage. On average, they lose 16% of their energy in 30 days. So, if rechargeable batteries have been left unused for a long period, recharge them again before use.
Further, overcharging a battery can be counterproductive in that it reduces the capacity of the battery over time. In a test to determine how robust they can withstand an overcharging of 500 charge/discharge cycles, three AAA rechargeable batteries were judged to perform very well. After the 500 cycles, they can still retain approximately 90% of their initial capacity.
More tips on using rechargeable batteries:
- Charge NiMH batteries with only the appropriate chargers, and bear in mind not to charge NiMH batteries in a charger that is only suitable for NiCd batteries, or vice versa.
- Choose a charger that has a circuitry which can minimize the overcharging of batteries.
- For newly bought batteries, always charge them first according to the instructions before use.
- Do not charge different models/capacities of rechargeable batteries in the same charger.
Price freeze on textbooks -first in over 20 years
Prices of primary and secondary school textbooks for this year have come down by an average of 0.3% and 0.1% respectively.
It is the first time in more than 20 years that textbook prices have reversed their continuous upward trend.
The annual survey 2002 of the Consumer Council, covering 239 primary and 474 secondary school textbooks, revealed a price freeze on the majority of textbooks. Compared with 2001, 86% of primary and 99% of secondary school textbooks were found to remain unchanged in price.
The survey noted that some textbooks are bundled with free CD-ROMs, answer books or problem-solving booklets. Students may, however, have great difficulty in purchasing these materials independently in the market. Publishers are urged to provide channels for the sales of such materials.
Latest comprehensive test results on LCD computer monitors and colour inkjet printers
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) computer monitors are the latest innovation to hit the market.
The Consumer Council has just completed a test comparing the features and performance of 14 models of 15-inch LCD computer monitors.
Compared with the conventional CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitors, LCD monitors are significant for space saving. They are low in electro-magnetic emission which has been a source of health concern. They are also low in power consumption.
As LCD monitors have no screen flickering problem, they are more comfortable to the eyes for long time viewing. All samples were found to have satisfactory high contrast ratio.
For some users, LCD monitors may not necessarily be a good buy. In particular, graphics professionals, artists and designers may find the LCD models less than satisfactory in colour reproduction accuracy.
Moreover, the performance of all samples was unsatisfactory when displaying moving images with sharp edge as they appeared to be blurred and jerky. A few samples (3) had highly reflective screen and were unsatisfactory when viewed under strong ambient light.
Included in this July (309) issue of CHOICE is also a test report on 19 models of colour inkjet printers.
The test assessed the products for printing quality and speed according to their performance in printing text, graphics and photo. The time taken to print an A4 size photo could vary substantially from 1.4 minutes to 23.6 minutes.
Also assessed in the test were their versatility, ease of use, construction and environmental aspects. Amongst the samples are 2 models which are able to print photos directly from memory cards used by digital cameras without the need to connect to a computer.
Chairing the press conference today (July 15) on the publication of CHOICE issue number 309 is Dr. Matthew NG, Vice Chairman of Publicity and Community Relations Committee of the Consumer Council.