[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Consumer Contracts” module_class=”posttitle” _builder_version=”4.9.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
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Some tricky sellers may provide wrong information to mislead their customers. The\u00a0Trade Descriptions Ordinance<\/a>\u00a0,\u00a0Chapter 362<\/a>\u00a0, Laws of Hong Kong (\u201cTDO\u201d), prohibits false trade descriptions for goods (\u00a0section 7<\/a>\u00a0) and services (\u00a0section 7A<\/a>\u00a0).<\/p>\n Any person who in the course of any trade or business:<\/p>\n commits an offence.<\/p>\n There are also regulations under the TDO dealing specifically with gold and platinum articles.<\/p>\n Under the\u00a0Trade Descriptions (Marking) (Gold and Gold Alloy) Order<\/a>\u00a0(\u00a0Cap. 362A<\/a>\u00a0) and\u00a0Trade Descriptions (Marking) (Platinum) Orders<\/a>\u00a0(\u00a0Cap. 362C<\/a>\u00a0), all articles made of gold, gold alloy, or platinum must bear a mark indicating the fineness of gold or platinum content in the form and manner specified. Articles made of different parts of gold or platinum of different fineness, or partly of gold or platinum and partly of other metal must also be clearly marked as such.<\/p>\n Under\u00a0section 2<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0Trade Descriptions (Place of Origin) (Watches) Order<\/a>\u00a0(\u00a0Cap. 362D<\/a>\u00a0), the place in which the movement of a watch (i.e. the main part of a watch without the watch band) was manufactured or produced is to be regarded as the place in which the watch has been manufactured or produced. However, this requirement does not apply to any watch that has been exported, or is intended to be exported, from Hong Kong to the Mainland under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) and that is qualified for a zero tariff under the Arrangement.<\/p>\n Schedule 3<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations<\/a>\u00a0(\u00a0Cap. 132W<\/a>\u00a0) states that unless there is exemption in the Regulations or otherwise stated, the following information should be marked in either English or Chinese language or in both languages on the label of pre-packaged food:<\/p>\n If Chinese and English languages are used in labelling, the food name and the ingredient list of the pre-packaged food shall be labelled in both languages.<\/p>\n Regulation 4A<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations<\/a>\u00a0(\u00a0Cap. 132W<\/a>\u00a0) provides that prepackaged food shall be marked and labelled in the manner prescribed in\u00a0Schedule 3<\/a>\u00a0. The items listed in\u00a0Schedule 4<\/a>\u00a0are exempt from the requirements of this regulation to the extent specified in that Schedule.<\/p>\n Schedule 3<\/a>\u00a0states the requirement of \u201cCount, weight or volume\u201d in Paragraph 7 and the appropriate language in Paragraph 8.<\/p>\n Regulation 4B<\/a>\u00a0provides that prepackaged food shall be marked or labelled with its energy value and nutrient content in compliance with Part 1 of\u00a0Schedule 5<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n Items exempt from Part 1 of\u00a0Schedule 5<\/a>\u00a0are listed under\u00a0Schedule 6<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n Any person who advertises for sale, sells or manufactures for sale any prepackaged food which –<\/p>\n (a) is not marked or labelled in compliance with\u00a0regulation 4A(1)<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a04B(1)<\/a>\u00a0; or<\/p>\n (b) has on its label any nutrition claim that does not conform to\u00a0regulation 4B(5)<\/a>\u00a0, commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 5 (\u00a0Criminal Procedure Ordinance<\/a>\u00a0(\u00a0Cap. 221<\/a>\u00a0) –\u00a0Schedule 8<\/a>\u00a0) and to imprisonment for 6 months.<\/p>\n Schedule 7<\/a>\u00a0provides for the nutrient reference values for different nutrients for the purpose of nutrition labelling and\u00a0Schedule 8<\/a>\u00a0states the conditions for nutrient content claim.<\/p>\n A trader who:<\/p>\n commits an offence.<\/p>\n A trader who adopts \u201cUnfair Trade Practices\u201d commits an offence. There are five kinds of \u201cUnfair Trade Practices\u201d outlined under Part IIB of the\u00a0TDO<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n Section 13E<\/a>\u00a0Misleading Omissions<\/b><\/p>\n A commercial practice is a misleading omission if it:<\/p>\n Section13F<\/a>\u00a0: Aggressive Commercial Practices<\/b><\/p>\n A commercial practice is aggressive if:<\/p>\n Section 13G<\/a>\u00a0: Bait Advertising<\/b><\/p>\n Having regard to the nature of the market in which the trader carries on business and the nature of the advertisement, it is considered bait advertising if:<\/p>\n It is not bait advertising if:<\/p>\n Section 13H<\/a>\u00a0: Bait and Switch<\/b><\/p>\n A trader who makes an invitation to purchase a product at a specified price with the intention of promoting a different product and:<\/p>\n commits an offence.<\/p>\n Section 13I<\/a>\u00a0: Wrongly Accepting Payment<\/b><\/p>\n A trader wrongly accepts payment if at the time of acceptance:<\/p>\n The Commissioner of Customs and Excise is the principal Enforcement Agency to determine whether the trade practices are unfair by reference to the Enforcement Guidelines. For trade practices relating to telecommunications and broadcasting, the Enforcement Agency is the Communications Authority (\u00a0sections 16BA<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a016H<\/a>\u00a0).<\/p>\n The Enforcement Guidelines cannot and do not aim to mandate traders to conduct their business in a particular way. They serve as a guide as to when conduct may constitute a contravention of the fair trading sections of the\u00a0TDO<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n The Guidelines are neither legally binding nor subsidiary legislation. Traders do not incur any civil or criminal liability by contravening any part of the Guidelines.<\/p>\n Rather than criminal proceedings,\u00a0section 30L<\/a>\u00a0provides that the Enforcement Agencies may resolve cases in respect of conduct that constitutes an offence under specified sections by accepting a written undertaking from alleged trader if the trader undertakes not to continue\/repeat\/engage in conduct or commercial practice of the kind or of a substantially similar kind of concern. Acceptance or withdrawal of the undertaking is subject to the consent in writing by the Secretary for Justice. If an undertaking is accepted, the enforcement agency may not commence\/continue the investigation or bring\/continue the proceedings in court. The enforcement agency may also publish the accepted undertaking.<\/p>\n The Enforcement Agencies may apply to the court for an injunction to order a trader not to continue or repeat or engage in the contravening conduct (see\u00a0sections 30P<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a030Q<\/a>\u00a0).<\/p>\n The Enforcement Agencies are more likely to institute criminal proceedings rather than seeking an undertaking in cases of serious contravention of the fair trading sections of the\u00a0TDO<\/a>\u00a0. Factors (which are non-exhaustive) to be considered are:<\/p>\n For the full content of the Enforcement Guidelines, please click\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Consumer Contracts” module_class=”posttitle” _builder_version=”4.9.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″] V. The Trade Descriptions Ordinance [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″] Some tricky sellers may provide wrong information to mislead their customers. The\u00a0Trade Descriptions Ordinance\u00a0,\u00a0Chapter 362\u00a0, Laws of Hong Kong (\u201cTDO\u201d), prohibits false trade […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Adoption is a legal process by which parental rights and responsibilities over a child are transferred from the birth parents to the adoptive parents. An adoption in Hong Kong must be effected in accordance with the Adoption Ordinance , Cap. 290<\/a> , Laws of Hong Kong. The guiding principle in the adoption process is the \u201cbest interests of the child\u201d ( section 8<\/a> of the Adoption Ordinance<\/a> ).<\/p> Local adoption service in Hong Kong is provided by the Adoption Unit of the Social Welfare Department and three non-governmental organizations, as Accredited Bodies:<\/p> The statutory requirements concerning the accreditation system in respect of local adoption in the HKSAR are set out in sections 26<\/a> , 26A<\/a> and 26B<\/a> of the Adoption Ordinance<\/a> .<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35,26,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-consumer-rights","category-daily-lives-legal-issues","category-topics"],"yoast_head":"\nA. False Trade Description in relation to goods<\/h2>\n
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1. Gold or Platinum articles<\/h3>\n
2. Watches<\/h3>\n
3. Food and Drugs<\/h3>\n
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B. False Trade Description in relation to services<\/h2>\n
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C. Enforcement Guidelines<\/h2>\n
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