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“Year of the Rat – Top 10 Consumer News” Concluded with Record High Voting Numbers Anti-pandemic Supplies and Daily Necessities Garnered the Most Attention

  • 2021.02.04

     The voting results of the “Year of the Rat – Top 10 Consumer News” poll event organised by the Consumer Council were announced today (4 February). Pandemic-related news dominated the top 10, amongst which 4 were related to anti-pandemic supplies and daily necessities, reflecting that the supply and quality of anti-epidemic products such as face masks and rubbing alcohol, and daily commodities such as groceries were important consumer goods. 3 news stories were related to travel, indicating that the pandemic also severely affected consumers keen on vacationing abroad every holiday. Moreover, the 3 hot topic consumer news – the “Most Outrageous”, “Most Like”, and “Most Gratifying” news – were all related to the pandemic, affirming that pandemic-related issues were the most concerned topics no matter good or bad.

     The event, held with the support of HK01, Hong Kong Economic Times, i-Cable News, Radio Television Hong Kong, SkyPost, TOPick and U Magazine, invited members of the public to cast their votes via the Internet during the voting period from 4 January 2021 to 24 January 2021. A record-high number of 6,038 voters participated in the event, up 14% from last year.

    Owing to the pandemic, this year’s Top 10 Consumer News results were announced via a livestream press conference for the first time ever. The Chairman of the Consumer Council, Mr. Paul Lam Ting-kwok, SC, remarked during the livestream, “The pandemic has turned internet shopping into the new norm as more consumers are now shopping online and ordering food using food delivery platforms. However, large amounts of plastic waste were created during the packaging and delivery processes, in addition to the daily waste resulting from anti-pandemic measures, such as disposable face masks, disinfecting wet wipes, alcohol-based hand rubs and bleach, etc. All of these have taken their toll on the environment. Even though our lifestyles have inevitably been impacted by the pandemic, we should not neglect the importance of sustainable consumption. Traders and online food delivery platforms should try to be socially responsible by opting for more eco-friendly delivery methods, while consumers can also do their part by cutting down on disposable utensils and reusing the packaging. Together we can work towards sustainable consumption.”

    The 10 selected news stories reflected society’s ups and downs over the past year of living alongside the pandemic. In the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, members of the public resorted to panic-buying anti-pandemic supplies and even daily necessities. When face masks were in shortage, unscrupulous traders took advantage of the situation and inflated the prices. The news story about the city-wide panic-buying craze and supermarkets introducing purchase limits to products became the number 1 Year of the Rat Consumer News, receiving a total of 5,531 votes which accounted for over 90% of the total number of votes. This news story was simultaneously named the “Most Outrageous” consumer news by public voting. Ranking at number 2 and receiving a total of 5,371 votes was the news story about face mask supply shortage over the Chinese New Year and the Consumer Council’s caution to traders to avoid exploiting the situation by inflating the retail price. 

    The economy was severely battered by the pandemic, with the travel and aviation industries taking the biggest hits. During the year, a number of travel agencies shuttered, airline companies were faced with reduced business or even ceased operation. As a result, consumers with impending travel plans were grounded in Hong Kong, causing a surge in refund-related consumer disputes. The news story about the restructuring of Cathay Pacific and the closure of Dragonair ranked number 3 while the shuttering of 73 travel agencies in the first 9 months of 2020 ranked number 4.

     Other Top 10 Consumer News included the Government’s introduction of timely employment support measures while requesting major supermarkets, which still benefited from the schemes despite being relatively less impacted by the pandemic, to give back to consumers in times of need; new business opportunities amid the pandemic for industries, such as online food delivery platforms, have found their niche in the “stay-at-home economy”, reflecting that every crisis creates opportunities; and the scarce supply of seasonal influenza vaccination.

     Surgical face masks have become an essential anti-pandemic supply. 2 news stories related to face masks were voted as the “Most Like” and “Most Gratifying” consumer news. In response to the shortage of face masks during the Chinese New Year which caused much public attention and concern, the Council worked with The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering of the City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, and Hong Kong Science Park to develop a way to make evidence-based do-it-yourself makeshift face masks using accessible and low-cost materials at home, including kitchen paper towels. This story was voted as the “Most Like” news, garnering a total of 3,564 votes.

     Voted as the “Most Gratifying” consumer news was the story about the arrest of 96 people for face mask scams, with a total of 2,292 cases recorded in the first half of 2020 and $70.22 million dollars involved. In early 2020, face mask supply in brick-and-mortar stores could not meet the overwhelming demand. Many consumers resorted to purchasing face masks from online channels, such as social media pages or online stores, yet failed to receive the products after payment and were unable to reach the seller. The Council believes some of these consumer disputes stemmed from delayed handling of orders by certain medium-sized and small enterprises due to underestimation of the order volume, but there are also fraudsters deliberately scamming consumers through social media platforms. The Council reminded consumers to stay vigilant when shopping online; only purchase from reputed traders and do not be deceived by suspicious websites or shopping advertisements on social media platforms.

     The voting of this event was carried out in 3 phases. 10 winners were drawn from each phase, with each winner receiving a HK$200 gift card. All voters were automatically enrolled for the “Final Lucky Draw” with a HK$5,000 gift card awarded to the grand prize winner. The lucky draw results were announced on 2 February 2021 in The Standard and Hong Kong Economic Times. All winners will be contacted individually regarding the prize collection details.

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

Rank

News Story (Original News in Chinese)

Votes

1

Pandemic-induced Panic-Buying Across Districts

Supermarkets Impose Purchase Limits

5,531

2

Face Mask Shortage During Chinese New Year

Consumer Council Urges Traders Against Robbing a Burning House

5,371

3

Cathay Pacific Restructured

Subsidiary Dragonair Ceases Operation

5,157

4

Travel Industry Heavily Hit by Pandemic

73 Travel Agencies Shuttered in the First 9 Months of 2020

4,522

5

2 Major Supermarkets Approved for Employment Support Scheme

Requested to Give Back to Society with Half the Subsidy

4,201

6

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Scarce

Clinics Demanding Almost $1,000 Per Shot

4,014

7

2,292 Face Mask Scam Cases in First Half of 2020

$70.22 Million Involved  96 Arrested

3,775

8

Restaurants Shutter Under the Pandemic

Online Food Delivery Platforms Expand Amid Grim Times

3,736

9

Consumer Council Tests Rubbing Alcohol

Methanol Found in 6 Models While 80% Fell Short in Concentration or Volume

3,514

10

Government Negotiates “Travel Bubbles” with a Number of Countries

3,119

Consumer News Hot Topics Results

“Most Gratifying” News

Votes

2,292 Face Mask Scam Cases in First Half of 2020

$70.22 Million Involved  96 Arrested

3,304

“Most Like” News

Votes

Consumer Council Partners with Experts to Teach Citizens to Create Makeshift Masks with Materials Found at Home

3,564

“Most Outrageous” News

Votes

Pandemic-induced Panic-Buying Across Districts

Supermarkets Impose Purchase Limits

2,685

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