A 63-year-old male director of Bonjour Beauty group was arrested for breaching the Trades Description Ordinance after the chain of beauty salons suddenly closed.
Customs officers had received 667 complaints about Bonjour Beauty by yesterday, involving 593 complainants and beauty contracts amounting to about HK$30 million. The highest individual amount is HK$2 million.
Though Customs did not reveal the names of the beauty group and beauty parlors involved, it is understood that About Beauty, Dr.Protalk and Top Comfort are among them. They suddenly suspended operations last month - and all are under the Bonjour Beauty group.
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Facebook pages of the parlors said About Beauty and Dr.Protalk had offered slimming and cosmetology services. Top Comfort offered massaging.
The director of the beauty group, whose name was not revealed, was arrested yesterday as Customs officers found the three beauty parlors were in rent arrears - one of the tenancies had already expired - and had still accepted payments for prepaid services even if they could not feasibly operate.
He was held on suspicion of wrongly accepting payment in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
The Customs and Excise Department's divisional commander, Wilson Wong Chi-chung, said they will investigate the suspect's role within the beauty group. He has been released on bail pending further investigation and Customs officers did not rule out more arrests.
Wong said they found that a landlord had filed a court claim in July to recover outstanding rent from one of the beauty parlors and applied to auction the parlor's items.
He added many complainants have bought new service packages before finishing the previous ones.
