Company B advertised on its website the service pledge “No Charge on Unsuccessful Case” and the guarantee that if the problem recurred within one week after repair, it would provide free repair service. The complainant found the service suitable and so made an appointment with Company B to fix her slow draining bathtub at home. After inspection by the contractor, she was told that the drainpipe was severely clogged and a charge of $900 was required for using high-pressure water jetting to clear the drainpipe. The job took only 15 minutes. She then turned on the water tap for a test, and after seeing the water drain smoothly, she paid the contractor the agreed service charge.
However, soon after the contractor left, she discovered water leaking from the side of the bathtub. She called the company many times but in vain. She was able to contact a company staff member the next day but was only told that there was no one available to come over right away. As the water leakage caused flooding from the bathroom to the hallway, the complainant had no choice but to engage another contractor. When the new contractor pried the marble slab of the bathtub open, he found the drainpipe had been damaged due to pressure. The complainant was charged $3,000 for the repair. She was dissatisfied with Company B’s refusal to provide repair service as pledged after its improper use of the high-pressure water jet that damaged the drainpipe. She thus approached the Council to seek refund of the $900 repair cost.
Council staff wrote to Company B but received no reply. They called the phone number on the sales receipt and reached two of the company staff but both were unresponsive, claiming that the responsible person would return the call later. However, the call was never returned. The Council deemed Company B to be totally uncooperative, and the complainant was advised to pursue her case through the Small Claims Tribunal. She further consented to refer her case to the Customs and Excise Department for investigation of a possible violation of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.