The Hong Kong government is proposing a mandatory seven-day cooling-off period for prepaid contracts sold by beauty parlours and fitness centres. The plan also includes a proposed 14-day refund period and a possible two-year limit on contract length, but these protections are not yet in force.
Under the proposal, a customer cancelling during the cooling-off period would still have to pay for services already used. That charge could be calculated pro rata or as separate itemised charges, and an administrative fee might also apply, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau said in a radio interview reported by Ming Pao and i-CABLE News.
The main practical question is which contracts would be covered. The consultation considered thresholds of HK$3,000, HK$8,000 and HK$15,000, but Yau said these were preliminary options rather than settled figures; the government is studying the different prices and types of contracts used by the beauty and fitness industries.
The government is also considering treating several contracts for the same type of service, signed with the same merchant on the same day, as one contract. That is intended to prevent transactions being split to avoid the rules, while contracts for different services could remain separate under the preliminary approach.
RTHK reported a further proposed requirement that operators begin providing services within three months of signing a contract. Yau said the beauty and fitness industries strongly supported seven days as a sufficient cooling-off period, while the government continued to weigh consumer protection against the industries’ operating concerns.
A two-month public consultation has ended and the government is collating views from consumers and the affected industries. Yau said it hopes to submit the amendments to the Trade Descriptions Ordinance to the Legislative Council in the first half of 2027, with the aim of completing the legislative process as soon as possible.
For now, anyone paying in advance should not assume that a seven-day cancellation right exists. Before signing, consumers should ask for written terms covering cancellation, payment for services already used, administrative charges and the timing of any refund, rather than relying on protections still being proposed.