Replies to initial written questions raised by Finance Committee Members in examining the Estimates of Expenditure 2012-13 Director of Bureau : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Session No. 12 File name : cedb(cit)- doc
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- Examination of Estimates of Expenditure 2012-13
Question : The Consumer Council estimates that 30 000 consumer complaints will be received in 2012. How many of them involve in-bound tourists (especially Mainland visitors) or what is the corresponding percentage? How many complaints involve “unscrupulous shops”, “unscrupulous taxis” and “unlicensed guesthouses”? Have manpower and additional resources been earmarked to handle cases which are expected to show an increase? Asked by : Hon. TSE Wai-chun, Paul Reply : The numbers of complaints received by the Consumer Council (CC) in 2010 and 2011 were 29 048 and 27 541 respectively. There were respectively 2 033 and 2 342 complaints lodged by visitors, amounting to 7% and 8.5% of the total. Of these, 1 420 and 1 698 complaints were lodged by visitors from the Mainland, representing 4.9% and 6.2% respectively of the grand total. According to the record of 2011, photographic equipment and telecommunications products are the main subjects of complaints lodged by visitors (including those from the Mainland). There were 539 and 238 complaints respectively, amounting to 23% and 10% of the total complaints lodged by visitors. There were only five visitors’ complaints (0.2%) against the services of or the fares charged by taxis and 72 complaints (3%) against services provided by hotels or guesthouses. The CC envisages that the number of visitors’ complaints may grow as a result of the increasing number of visitors to Hong Kong. The CC will closely monitor the growth of the number of visitors and deploy internal resources flexibly to maintain the quality and efficiency of complaint handling. Taking into account the current situation, the manpower of the CC is estimated to be sufficient to deal with the additional case load.
Question : One of the performance targets of the Consumer Council in 2012 is to raise the percentage of consumers’ telephone complaints answered within three minutes from 80% to 85%. Does this target cover telephone complaints of inbound visitors, in particular inbound Mainland visitors? Regarding issuing preliminary written reply and notifying complainants of results/progress, the time required is estimated at 7 and 16 days respectively. Do such cases cover complaints of inbound visitors, in particular inbound Mainland visitors? Given that the above time frame for handling telephone and written complaints can hardly cater for the needs of visitors on a brief stay here, has the Administration assessed the situation? Are there any measures and policies in place to handle complaints of visitors on a brief stay and to follow up the complaints after their departure, if so, what are their details and the estimated manpower and resources required for such work, if not, would it be assessed as soon as possible? Asked by : Hon. TSE Wai-chun, Paul Reply : Regarding the complaint and enquiry hotline services provided by the Consumer Council (CC), all incoming calls (irrespective of whether they are from local residents and visitors) are answered by staff on a first-come-first-served basis. In 2012, the CC endeavours to enhance its service efficiency and raises the target percentage of answering telephone complaints within three minutes from 80% to 85%. This pledge applies to telephone complaints lodged by visitors (including Mainland visitors). In fact, all the performance pledges of the CC, including those on issuing preliminary reply and notifying complainants of results/progress, apply to all consumers, including visitors to Hong Kong. In respect of complaint handling, the CC resolves disputes mainly through mediation and assists consumers in negotiating with traders for settlement. As such, the time for handling may vary among cases. If a visitor lodges a complaint with the CC in person during his stay in Hong Kong, staff will flexibly handle the case. For example, the staff will immediately contact the shop concerned with a view to resolving the dispute as soon as possible. However, as the departure time of the visitors concerned varies and since account has to be taken of the response of the traders, the CC is unable to ensure that the case could be settled before the visitors’ departure. Nevertheless, the CC will not stop its follow-up actions because of the visitors’ departure. Staff will liaise with the visitors through telephone, email or mail, and will continue discussion with the traders. If a visitor lodges a complaint with the CC by telephone, email or mail after his departure, the CC will follow up the case and inform the complainant of the result within the time limit as specified in its performance pledge. According to the CC’s experience, the vast majority of visitors lodge their complaints after leaving Hong Kong. In view of this, no extra resources are required to cater for complaints made by short-haul visitors before their departure. Furthermore, if visitors are involved in any emergency or suspected fraud, they can report to the Police for assistance. The Customs and Excise Department will also deploy its Quick Response Teams, which are on call around the clock, to handle complaints involving suspected contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
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