The Consumer Council handled 6,420 cases last year, of which 1,673 were complaints, 4,711 inquiries and 36 suggestions.

The total number of cases of the top 5 categories of complaints amounted to 717, which was about 43 percent of the total. The top 5 categories were telecommunication equipment (198 cases), real estate (184 cases), telecommunication services (144 cases), public transportation (99 cases), and food and beverage (92 cases).

The total number of complaints in 2016 has decreased by 12 percent; the number of complaint cases for telecommunication equipment has dropped by 35 percent. Besides real estate, which recorded almost 100 cases regarding local citizens purchasing properties in the Mainland, the other three categories all recorded decrease in the number of complaints. The Council also started meeting chambers and organizations last year to discuss about the causes of major complaint cases.

For tourists’ complaints and inquiries, the Council received 683 cases in 2016, which is about 10 percent of the total number of cases received. The major issues include quality and prices of watches, jewelry and goldsmiths, and telecommunication equipment.

A detailed analysis of the number of cases received in 2016 will be published later by the Council at a later stage.