Hong Kong’s Consumer Council scolds logistics sector over ‘group-and-ship’ services for online purchases
- ‘Group-and-ship’ services allow purchases from various online stores to be delivered together to save on shipping costs
- But hundreds of customers complain of additional fees, late deliveries and lost or damaged goods
Hong Kong’s logistics companies have been urged to increase transparency and improve services with the city’s consumer watchdog saying it received hundreds of complaints about the industry in recent years.
Clement Chan Kam-wing, the publicity and community relations committee chairman for the Consumer Council, said on Thursday that the watchdog received 243 complaints last year about “group-and-ship” services, which allow customers to gather purchases from various online stores and have them delivered together to save on shipping costs.
The council also shared stories of consumers who failed to get what they expected from Hong Kong’s logistics sector. The complaints included unclear shipping costs, additional fees, late deliveries and damaged or lost goods during transit.
The council urges the industry to improve its service quality and increase the transparency of information
“When disputes arise, it is difficult to define the responsibility of online businesses, online shopping platforms and the companies providing ‘group-and-ship’ services,” Chan said.
“The council urges the industry to improve its service quality and increase the transparency of information.”
He added that consumers at times felt like they had to bear the loss on their own.
In one case, a man paid a company about HK$170 (US$21) to ship items from the mainland to Hong Kong. The next day, however, a company employee demanded a surcharge of HK$200, saying the items’ length exceeded the standard size by 3cm.