“Top 10 Consumer News – Year of the Dragon” Voting Campaign Breaks Turnout Record Closure of Physical Fitness Takes Top Place Messi’s No-show at Exhibition Match Declared “Most Outrageous” Launch of Free CHOICE Hailed as “Most Liked”

The Consumer Council announced the results of its “Top 10 Consumer News – Year of the Dragon” voting campaign today (5 February). The campaign recorded a historical-high turnout of 14,429 voters this year. The top 3 news stories were all talk-of-the-town topics – at the top of the list with over half of the votes (7,934 votes) was the closure of Physical Fitness, which drew more than 5,000 consumer complaint cases, with total amount close to HK$200 million; football star Lionel Messi’s disappointing absence from the Inter Miami exhibition match in Hong Kong ranked second with 4,552 votes and was also voted as the “Most Outrageous” consumer news with 9,440 votes in one of the “Hot Topic” categories; the suspension of the long-debated Municipal Solid Waste Charging Scheme after a demonstration phase came in third with 4,409 votes. Other consumer news which made it into the top 10 covered an extensive range of consumption-related topics from food to housing and transportation, including the regulation of disposable plastic tableware at catering premises, the closure of the century-old fermented tofu brand Liu Ma Kee; implementation of housing policies such as the lifting of demand-side measures for residential properties and the legislation on Basic Housing Units; the rising northbound consumption trend; the “panda economy” which has captured citywide attention; as well as public transport fare hikes which impact consumers’ daily expenditure. In the remaining 2 “Hot Topics” categories, the implementation of the Taxi-Driver-Offence Points System was voted as the “Most Gratifying” consumer news by a wide margin with 8,088 votes, while the launch of free CHOICE by the Consumer Council was recognised as “Most Liked” with 5,992 votes. The voting results reflect consumers’ deep concern about policies closely linked to daily life and the treatment of various consumption-related events, as well as heightened awareness in safeguarding their own consumer rights.

Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, expressed his gratitude during the result announcement ceremony, “This voting campaign owes its success to the steadfast support of our media partners, as well as the keen participation of the public, allowing us to achieve a record-breaking number of voters this year. From media coverage to consumers’ concern and feedback, all these efforts help us monitor the market and serve as key drivers for strengthening protection of consumer rights. With a view to empowering the public to become smart consumers, the Council anticipates continued collaboration with the media to advocate for consumer rights, share various consumption information and tips, and caution citizens against sales traps and unfair business practices.”

“Physical Fitness Closes All Branches  Consumer Council Receives Over 5,000 Complaints Involving Almost HK$200 Million  Regulation of Prepayment Consumption Returns to the Public Eye” topped the list with 7,934 votes, accounting for nearly 55% of total voters. Physical Fitness, a large-scale gym and beauty chain which once boasted 500,000 members, abruptly ceased operations in September last year. As of late 2024, the Council had received 5,619 complaints, involving almost HK$200 million in complaint claims. This incident once again sparked widespread discussions about expediting the introduction of cooling-off periods and strengthening regulation of businesses based on the prepayment consumption model, so as to foster a safer consumption environment and restore consumer confidence in such industries.

“Mega event” became a news buzzword last year. The “mega event economy” aims to stimulate consumption by attracting more visitors to Hong Kong, yet the subpar arrangements of certain events caused consumer dissatisfaction. Among those, “Messi’s No-Show at Exhibition Match Sparks Uproar  Half-refund Offered for Tickets Bought Through Official Channels” took second place with 4,552 votes, and was simultaneously named the “Most Outrageous” consumer news by a landslide 9,440 votes, accounting for 65% of total voters. The result revealed consumers’ priority on the delivery of service promises and incident management. With “mega events” as a primary focus of economic development, the Council often urges the industry to strive to fulfil consumers’ reasonable expectations when organising and promoting events.

After 3 years, the “Municipal Solid Waste Charging Scheme” and “Disposable Plastic Tableware Ban” made it into the top 10 together once again. Having consistently placed in the top 10 list in the past few years, the Municipal Solid Waste Charging Scheme finally commenced its demonstration phase last year. “Municipal Solid Waste Charging Scheme Suspended After 2-month Demonstration and Consideration of Public Views” ranked third in the voting campaign with 4,409 votes, while “Disposable Plastic Tableware Banned from Restaurants Starting Mid-October  Discontent Over Poor Quality of Eco-Friendly Alternatives” placed sixth with 2,928 votes. The 2 policies were in second and tenth place respectively in 2021 and reunited in the top 10 list this year, reflecting consumers’ concern on the implementation of environmental policies and their impact on daily life.

Other news closely related to various aspects of daily life also made the list. Regarding the century-old fermented tofu brand purporting to be “Made in Hong Kong”, “Liu Ma Kee Shutters Amid Doubts of Product Origin  Definition of ‘Made in Hong Kong’ Sparks Heated Debate” was in eighth place with 2,172 votes. With owning a comfortable home sweet home being a dream of many Hong Kong people, “13-year Residential Property Cooling Measures Scrapped  Maximum Loan-to-Value Ratios for Property Mortgage Loans Adjusted to 70%” was welcoming news for many as it temporarily revived the property market, making it the ninth-ranking news with 2,038 votes. Meanwhile, “Legislation Mooted for Basic Housing Units to Replace Substandard Subdivided Units  Compliance with 4 Principles Required”, indicating the Government’s effort in improving the current living conditions of subdivided unit tenants, ranked tenth with 1,731 votes. Public transport fare is also closely linked with the public’s daily lives and cost of living, and “Public Transport Fare Hikes  MTR Fares Up 3%   Urban Taxi Flagfall Charge Raised to $29” ranked seventh with 2,223 votes. Last year, not only did Hong Kong joyfully welcome newborn twin panda cubs, but was additionally gifted with 2 giant pandas by Beijing, thus “Hong Kong Becomes Home to 6 Pandas  Seizing Opportunities to Boost Panda Economy” took fourth place with 4,217 votes. Additionally, as tourism revived after the pandemic, “Hong Kong Residents Keen on Northbound Consumption and Grocery Shopping  Citizens Bring in Raw Meat from Across the Boundary” ranked fifth with 3,519 votes.

Apart from Messi’s non-appearance being the “Most Outrageous” topical news, another news story related to Hong Kong’s image, “Taxi-Driver-Offence Points System Takes Effect  3-Month Disqualification Upon Accumulating 15 Offence Points” was voted as the “Most Gratifying” consumer news with 8,088 votes. Taxis being a convenient point-to-point transportation for locals and visitors alike, the Council has long been highly concerned about its service quality. Given that various measures will be implemented in the Year of the Snake, it is anticipated to bring positive change to consumers at large. To facilitate consumers’ access to comprehensive consumption information anytime and anywhere, the online version of the Council’s monthly CHOICE Magazine is now fully available for free public access. Its corresponding news story “Consumer Council’s 50th Anniversary  CHOICE Magazine Free for All Starting from 2025” was hailed as the “Most Liked” consumer news with 5,992 votes.

The “Top 10 Consumer News” voting campaign aims to raise public awareness of and attention to consumer rights. From the very first year, the campaign has partnered with major media organisations to encourage public participation. With the generous support of HK01, Hong Kong Economic Times, Cable News, Oriental Sunday, Radio Television Hong Kong, SkyPost, Sunday Kiss, TOPick, U Magazine, and Yahoo, this year’s campaign was successfully held from 2 to 22 January 2025.

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

Consumer News Hot Topics Results:

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1. Welcome speech by Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council.
   
2. Ms Gilly Wong Fung-han, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council and media partners shared their views on the nominated consumer news for the 3 topical categories.
   
3. Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council announced the results for the 3 “Consumer News Hot Topics”.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Mr Tony Pang Chor-fu, Vice-Chairman of the Consumer Council announced the results for the second and third “Top 10 Consumer News”.
   
5. Representatives from supporting organisations and the Consumer Council extended New Year’s greetings to everyone.