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Written by: Chen Yunlin
2020-04-07 18:57
Date of last update: 2020-04-07 18:57The e-wallet operator TNG suddenly updated the contract terms in the middle of last month without directly notifying the user, and charged the immovable account fee. If the account has no payment for six months or more, it will be deducted from 100 to 1,000 yuan. The account of fewer users was deducted to "zero", and after the intervention of the Monetary Authority, it was withdrawn yesterday and promised to return the fee yesterday (April 6). In recent years, mobile payment has become popular, and Hong Kong ranks third in the world with a utilization rate of 64%. However, if the current major electronic wallets are "sneaky" like TNG to change the contract terms, are there no guarantees for users?
In recent years, electronic wallets such as Payme and Alipay have continuously emerged, with a variety of functions. Many people seek convenience, and have not carefully read and pay attention to the terms and download them for use. Let alone pay attention to the updated terms. TNG facilitates the sudden update of contract terms on March 18, indicating that fees are charged for immovable accounts:
. No payment for six months or more: HK $ 100 every six months
. No payment for one year or more: HK $ 200 every six months
. No payment for one and a half years or more: HK $ 300 every six months
. No payment for more than two years: HK $ 400 every six months
(The above fees will be deducted from the balance in the TNG wallet account. If the member makes a payment after the fee is deducted, the deducted fees will not be refunded)
TNG changed the terms of the contract last month, and many users said they were detained without their knowledge. (Photo / Photo by Steph Yeung)
In other words, if the account has not been paid for two years, it will be deducted 1,000 yuan (100 + 200 + 300 + 400 yuan). Only the users said that they were unaware, and they learned on the discussion board after 18 days. After re-login, they were found to be deducted 300 yuan, and many people said that the account balance was deducted to 0 yuan. Some readers said to "Hong Kong 01" that they had emailed TNG to recover the money, but the other party responded that:
No matter whether the account is active or not, we need to manage and optimize its account. Therefore, we also bear a certain cost. The aforementioned fees have been released through different channels including application push notifications two weeks in advance to enable our customers to check and conduct any transactions to avoid these fees.
Another reader said that because he did not log in to TNG and did not follow the TNG Facebook page, he did not receive a push notification. After that, he called the Consumer Council Hotline to check and it was unsuccessful, because if the merchant reserves the right to revise the terms of the contract There are certain difficulties.
At present, Hong Kong's stored value payment instruments are supervised by the HKMA in accordance with the "Payment System and Stored Value Payment Instruments Ordinance." . Until the evening of the same day, TNG agreed to waive the fixed account service fee for all users after listening to opinions on the official website, application and Facebook page, and will refund the amount received within five days.
A spokesman for the HKMA responded at a later time that he recently received complaints from TNG users that the licensee levied a fixed-fee fee and immediately followed up with the licensee. "We understand that the licensee has taken into account customer opinions and other factors. Re-examine the relevant arrangements and decide to return the fees collected to the relevant users. "The Consumer Council said that electronic payment is not one of the categories of complaints of the Consumer Council and no relevant figures are provided.
TNG is a stored value facility (Stored Value Facilities, SVF), that is, an entity or network tool with a stored value function, which can be used as a payment for goods, services or P2P. The Monetary Authority took effect in November 2015 "Payment System and Stored Value Payment Under the Tools Ordinance, since the first batch of stored-value payment instrument licenses was issued in 2016, together with three licensed banks, there are currently 18 stored-value payment instrument licensees in Hong Kong. In fact, some stored-value payments also have non-resident fees. For example, the most commonly used Octopus for Hong Kong people will also be charged "unused Octopus administrative fee" according to the length of the period. Excluding the amount of charges, why does TNG cause users to resent it?
Is the "effective" and desirable method to notify users through the application? (Photo / Photo by Steph Yeung)
1) No notice for amending the terms?
TNG means that the notification has been modified through the application push notification or Facebook. Yes and indeed, TNG is not silently changing the terms, but there are too many uncertainties in this approach, such as users not tracking the TNG Facebook page, no login account, etc., and TNG unilaterally changed the contract terms, but only through push notifications The user, without confirming that the user has learned about the change, will treat it as known.
In June 2018, He Qiming, a member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, asked about the regulation of third-party payment platforms at the Legislative Council meeting. The Secretary for Financial Affairs and the Treasury Liu Yixiang replied in writing that the HKMA is licensed for stored value payment instruments The regulatory guidelines have been formulated by the licensee and required to be implemented by the licensee, and the HKMA also has constant supervision and review; the guidelines require the licensee to clearly set out and explain the charges and fees for using the service or product, and communicate them in an effective manner And provided to users. The question is, is it "effective" and desirable to use the app to inform users?
2) The effective time is 14 days?
Some netizens criticized that TNG ’s fixed-fee charges will take effect immediately 14 days after the notice, rather than start calculations after 14 days, expressing dissatisfaction. For example, the Octopus company launched the unused Octopus administrative fee on October 1, 2017, but the effective date is set three years later, and it will not be calculated until October 1 this year. The Octopus with no added value for 12 consecutive months will be deducted by 15 yuan. Has TNG amended its own terms and only provided 14 days' notice to violate relevant regulations? The HKMA has not replied before the deadline.
For some TNG users, the incident has come to an end, but some users insist that they will cancel their accounts. Licensees need to abide by the regulations when providing payment instrument services, but consumers should pay attention to the content of the contract terms and understand the supplier ’s unilateral modification or extension of contract rights and other arrangements when choosing mobile payment, so as not to incur losses. .
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