Hong Kong matchmaking firm accused of cheating customers

Hong Kong, March 22 (IANS) Hong Kong authorities have recieved 22 complaints involving against a city-based matchmaking firm, alleging that the firm made false service descriptions to con customers of more than HK$200,000 ($26,000), an accusation the firms owner has denied, a media report said on Sunday.Exaggerating the number of members and asking an employee to pose as a potential date were among the deceptive tactics used by Loveaholic, the matchmaking agency, the South China Morning Post quoted Ramon Yuen, a member of the Democratic Party, as saying on Saturday.Yuen, who said that the victims had already reported their cases to the Customs and Excise Department, warned consumers to carefully review the terms and conditions in the service contracts provided by matchmaking firms.”Loveaholic and its director Kyle Wong are ridiculous. They use unscrupulous means just to earn money,” Yuen said at a press conference.Of the 22 cases, the firm charged between HK$1,000 and HK$32,000 for each client and promised to arrange men or women they liked for the customers, Yuen added.At the press conference, a former employee said the firm claimed to have thousands of members, while in fact it had only 100 to 120 members as of last November.A female client, who paid HK$1,000 to subscribe to the matchmaking service for a year, was among those accusing the firm of cheating her.”I feel like this cheap matchmaking company exploited my heart,” the South China morning Post quoted the woman as saying.She said the firm also told her she should hide the fact she was a divorced woman, leading to an angry encounter with a date who had specifically requested no previously married women.Another customer told the South China Morning Post: “The boss sent his own photo to me to pretend he was a member. He once called me and asked what type of guys do I like. Then he asked ‘what about me? Do you think I am handsome?'”Customs officials said they were investigating the case.Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any trader who engages in dishonest sales practices, such as applying a false or misleading trade description to a service or product, is liable to a maximum fine of HK$500,000 and five years’ imprisonment.–IANSksk/