The public has given the Consumer Council high marks and great support for its research and testing work in the evaluation of consumer goods and services.
A high level of consumers' trust and satisfaction in this area of work was reported in a recent Public Opinion Survey on the Consumer Council, the first ever undertaken in its 36-year history.
The survey, conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong in January 2010, was based on random telephone interviews with a total of 3,012 respondents aged between 18 and 64.
High public awareness of Council services
The survey showed that public awareness of the service of the Council has reached a wide cross-section of the community. 99% of the respondents were found to have heard about the Consumer Council prior to the survey.
First and foremost, an overwhelming majority (83.6%) of the respondents in particular were aware of the Council's efforts in the provision of consumer information and guidance through research and testing.
This awareness is apparently the result of widespread publicity by the mass media - with 92.5% of the respondents receiving such information through "reports from newspapers, radio and television".
High "creditability" in product and service evaluation
More importantly, the Council has scored a high rate of approval among consumers in respect of the "creditability" of the Council's work in this area.
This endorsement of the Council's "creditability" was supported by 75.9% of the respondents (or almost 8 in 10 persons), who have heard or read its research and testing reports.
In addition, equally encouraging, 68.8% of the respondents found the information provided to be of "usefulness and reference value".
Most favoured channel for consumer complaints
Secondly, another key area of work of the Council which the survey has evaluated is its complaints and advice service.
Public apathy in asserting their consumer rights in the purchase of goods and services appears to be a cause for concern. As borne out in the survey, only about 36.6% of the respondents would seek help when things go wrong and unable to obtain redress.
Nonetheless, when asked which institutions or organizations they would turn to for help, most of them (82.8%) opted without hesitation for "the Consumer Council".
In fact, some 16.7% of the respondents had actually had the experience of using the Council's complaints handling service.
Upholding "fairness and justice" in consumer redress
Of these, 43.1% agreed that the Council was able to uphold the "fairness and justice" principles in complaints resolution. Further, 33.9% were of the view that in general, the Council was able to adhere to such principles in consumer redress.
Apart from 28.6% of the respondents who positively affirmed the Council's role in mediating disputes between consumers and traders, notably, an additional 31.7% opined that the Council's efforts in mediation could only be effective at times, reflecting the general public sentiment that the Council lacked the necessary legislative power to back up this area of work.
Respondents in the great majority (75.9%) supported the Council in sanctioning against dishonest traders by disclosing their names and practices to the public, and considered it an effective measure.
High demand for legal consumer education
Thirdly, public awareness of the range of activities in promotion and education of the Council was generally high (87.2%). The Council's monthly magazine CHOICE was deemed by many (68.2%) as the channel they most relied on for access to such service.
In the view of the respondents, the area of consumer education requiring greater emphasis was "legal obligations and protection" (65.4%).
This was followed by "product and service information" (53.3%), "knowledge of trade practices" (47.7%), and "consumer ethics and values" (44.4%).
Effectiveness of various missions evaluated
Finally, in summation, the respondents were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of the Council in achieving its various missions. On the basis of the evaluation, a rating on a scale of 5 (the higher the score the better) was computed.
The results showed that all scores were clearly above the average in the opinion of the public.
"Raising the level of knowledge in regard to consumer rights" (3.46) was top in the ranking, followed by "representing the consumer voice" (3.30), "advocacy of desirable trade practices" (3.20), "promoting fair market environment" (3.19), and "improving the legal protection of consumers" (3.11).
Looking ahead, the Chairman of the Council, Prof. Anthony CHEUNG Bing-leung said: "The public has voiced their opinions and expectations of us. We are greatly encouraged by their support in many of the areas that the Council is engaged in.
"The survey has provided us with valuable insight into our way forward. We will no doubt be incorporating these findings into our strategic plan for the years ahead as we strive for consumer betterment towards safe and sustainable consumption in a fair and just market," the Chairman added.