Macao Consumer Council pays attention to recent cases of unscrupulous sales tactics adopted by businesses in nearby region where tourists were misrepresented to buy expensive electrical products. The Council will work with relevant departments to follow this kind of sales practices with the concerned industry, and cooperate with consumer organizations in mainland China to issue consumer alerts to consumers in the Mainland. The two shops named by Hong Kong Consumer Council earlier were highlighted to have adopted unscrupulous sales tactics, or misled tourists. Tourists were usually misled to purchase cheap products but were told later that no stock was available, or found out that certain functions did not exist in the models they purchased. Macao Consumer Council's statistics showed that the Council received 3,438 cases in the first half year of 2011, out of which 321 involved electrical appliances (computer products, photographic equipments, and telecommunications equipment). 101 of the involved cases were brought forth by tourists: 13 cases for computer products, 25 cases for photographic equipment, and 63 cases for telecommunications equipment, which amounted to 31.5% of all the electrical appliance cases handled by the Council. Cases filed locally were sometimes similar to those in Hong Kong, which direct a negative impact to the promotion of Macao as a world centre of tourism and leisure, and infringe consumer rights. The Council indicates that it will constantly keep in contact with relevant law enforcement departments to deal with businesses which adopt unscrupulous sales practices; communication with the concerned industry will also be maintained to enhance business ethics. Consumer Council will issue a consumer alert to nearly 40 consumer organizations in various provinces and cities in mainland China to remind consumers' attention. Further, the Council appeals to 'Certified Shops' & 'Adherents' of the concerned industry to do business with their usual honest practices and attitude for the benefit of Macao to become a renowned international centre of tourism and leisure.
