Complaints to Hong Kong consumer watchdog up by 20% to 40,839 cases last year

The Consumer Council said on Monday that the overall amount covered by the complaints reached about HK$1 billion (US$128 million), as the number of cases exceeded 40,000 for the first time.

More than HK$15.2 million came from the food and entertainment services category, which accounted for the most complaints for the third consecutive year with 5,810 cases, an increase of 48 per cent compared with 2023.

Complaints soared in the sports games subcategory, which saw a 35-fold jump in the number of cases.

Controversy surrounding football star Lionel Messi drove most of the rise in complaints in the subcategory, after the athlete failed to take to the pitch in a much-anticipated and heavily advertised exhibition match in February last year between his Inter Miami club and a Hong Kong team.

The incident generated 1,476 of the subcategory’s 1,559 cases and involved more than HK$10 million. The cases also included 305 complaints from tourists.