Decorating your home with new furniture is not always the pleasurable experience one looks forward to. Indeed, the reverse is true - at least to a rising number of complainants in the purchase of ready or custom made furniture.
In the first nine months of this year, the Consumer Council has received a total of 953 cases of complaints against furniture traders, representing an increase of 249 cases or 35% over the corresponding period the previous year.
The nature of complaints involved virtually every stage of the transaction from sales practices to prices, quality of materials to workmanship, installation to after-sales maintenance services, and non-delivery, etc.
In the (November) issue of CHOICE are highlighted the common malpractices including a number of typical complaint cases, and comprehensive guidelines to help consumers avoid the pitfalls.
In one case, the complainant (a Mr. Kong) contracted a company to decorate his flat with custom-made furniture including beds, desks, wardrobes and full-length cabinets. On receipt of a deposit of $1,000, the contractor duly went to his flat for measurements, and undertook to provide to his satisfaction a computer drawing of the furniture before any work would begin.
A few days later, when he visited the company for a view of the computer drawing, he was informed that the drawing needed more time to complete and was instead handed a price quotation amounting to $101,543 for his signature. He was asked to pay an initial deposit of $50,000 with the reassurance that the computer drawing would be ready in a few days.
The computer drawing never materialized but only a mere hand sketch of the furniture for his reference. Dissatisfied, he insisted for a computer drawing with details of measurements and specifications. Again, he was faxed a shoddily revised hand sketch.
The complainant was also asked to sign on the sketch to signify his approval, to which he wisely declined. Despite his repeated demands, the company was unable to come up with the promised computer drawing.
With no more confidence on the company, the complainant had no alternative but to request for the production of $50,000 worth of furniture (equivalent to the deposit he had paid) and cancelled the remainder balance of the transaction. But this the company refused; the complainant then sought the assistance of the Council.
Upon conciliation, the company agreed to rescind the original contract on condition of payment of an administrative fee of $5,000 for the work done in respect of onsite measurements and the many furniture sketches. The fee was later negotiated down to $3,000; the company also undertook to deliver the furniture valued at $50,000 in good quality.
In another case, the complainant (a Ms. Wong) bought a sofa priced at $6,198 which she paid with a credit card, with the company agreeing to delivery in mid-August. The sofa never arrived; she was told by the shop the non-delivery was due to a staff error in misplacing the order. A new delivery date was set in early September.
Again no delivery of the sofa, this time the excuse was the sofa was still under production. Delivery was deferred to mid-September. Later she learned the factory had ceased production. Upon her protestation, the company first agreed to make delivery in end of September but later changed it to October.
In exasperation, she demanded cancellation of the order and refund. Thereupon she was provided an application form for goods return to fill in. Two weeks later she learned in the news of the closure of the company.
She lodged a complaint with the Council, and was subsequently advised to approach her credit card issuer for chargeback provision of her payment to the company.
As it transpired, the Council has received over 100 cases of consumer complaints against the same company for non-delivery since mid-July. As such trade practices may contravene the new Trade Descriptions Ordinance under the "Wrongly Accepting Payment" offence, the Council has referred the cases to the Customs and Excise Department for enforcement consideration.
As with most other transactions, consumers are advised to document every important detail - quality of material, exact measurements, delivery arrangements and price quote, etc., as well as contingency fees and expenses if something goes amiss - as proof in the event of a dispute. Don't rely on verbal promises; put them down in writing. And keep a copy of every document.
Shop around for comparison and choose the one with a good repute. Know beforehand precisely what you really want as any changes later may result in higher costs. And refer to the report in CHOICE for more guidance.
| CHOICE magazine is now also available online (https://echoice.consumer.org.hk/ ) . Members from the media who are invited by this Council to the Press Conference may quote the content of this Press Statement. The Consumer Council reserves all its right (including copyright) in respect of CHOICE magazine and Onlin CHOICE (https://echoice.consumer.org.hk/ ). |