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”.
“My mother was left exhausted and confused afterwards, and said she felt as if she had been hypnotised,” Ng wrote.
She said the family had asked for a refund, but Avinichi refused and only offered an exchange. She said she had reported the case to the Customs and Excise Department, as well as the Consumer Council.
In a response to the South China Morning Post, the department said it was “actively investigating the case” and would take “appropriate enforcement” action should any contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance be found.
“Customs has always attached great importance to consumer rights protection and has zero tolerance for unfair trade practices, pledging to continue its stringent enforcement action against unscrupulous traders,” it said.
When an SCMP reporter visited the store on Saturday, the two staff present said they were not aware of the allegations.
After speaking to a manager over the phone, one of the employees asked for the reporter’s contact information and said a company spokesperson would get in touch. The staff member declined to allow the reporter to speak to the manager directly.
As of 9pm on Saturday, the SCMP had yet to receive a response.
Avinichi is one of a series of beauty brands managed by Apex Retail, a company with locations across Hong Kong and Singapore. It operates about a dozen shops in Hong Kong, under the brands Earth, Napara, Privilege Boutique, Dualsonic and others.
A store for another of its brands, Lionesse, recently faced similar accusations of aggressive sales tactics.
Addressing the previous case, Apex Retail declined to comment on individual allegations or circumstances that did not involve identifiable customer matters.
According to its website, the company launched two Avinichi “experience boutiques” in 2025. It also lists the Wing On department store in Sheung Wan as one of its “mall partners”.
The Avinichi trademark is owned by Exclusive Label, based in the United States. A statement at the bottom of Avinichi’s website notes that all retail locations are independently owned and managed.
Hong Kong’s beauty sector has come under heightened scrutiny following the arrest of two managers at the Hong Kong operator of beauty chain Opatra London over alleged coercive sales practices.
The company has suspended local operations, while customs officers are investigating six customer complaints involving disputed sums between HK$1,800 and HK$100,000.
The Mineral Boutique, a brand under Beauty Express Group, has also come under scrutiny for allegedly aggressive sales practices.
Legal experts previously told the SCMP that such practices – including credit card abuse, unwanted physical contact and pressure to buy costly products – could breach the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
The ordinance prohibits harassment, coercion and misleading conduct used to pressure consumers into making purchases they otherwise would not have made. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
