Elderly woman allegedly pressured into spending HK$100,000 on beauty products

Hong Kong customs is investigating whether an 88-year-old was pressured into spending HK$100,000 (US$12,750) on beauty products at an outlet linked to a company already accused of aggressive sales tactics.

In a social media post on Saturday, a woman surnamed Ng wrote that her mother was targeted during a three-hour ordeal in April at the Avinichi booth in the Wing On department store in Sheung Wan.

The allegations are the latest in a string of complaints over Hong Kong’s beauty product sector following a crackdown on the local operations of Opatra London.

In the post, Ng said that her mother visited the store in April. After the first transaction, the salesperson allegedly did not return the mother’s credit card and instead kept it in a folder while trying to sell her more products.

Ng claims the credit card was swiped four times over a three-hour period, with charges amounting to HK$100,000 for skincare products, a beauty treatment device and 24 detoxifying sessions.

The daughter claimed her mother’s helper tried to intervene and suggest leaving, but the “selling continued”.