HK wedding firm's abrupt disappearance leaves 100 couples with HK$1m at stake

Hong Kong-based wedding decoration company "PS Wedding & Event Decoration"'s abrupt disappearance has impacted over 100 couples, involving amounts exceeding HK$1 million.

Established in 2012, PS Wedding specialises in wedding decoration and the retail of wedding products. It is located in an industrial building in San Po Kong and is owned by a man with the surname Chung, according to Ming Pao and HK01. 

PS Wedding’s office in San Po Kong has allegedly been cleared out, with the signboard having been removed, according to the reports. Furthermore, the company’s office, as well as its Facebook and Instagram pages, are also unavailable, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE confirmed.

A number of affected couples have formed a WhatsApp group called “Pswedding 同伴”. The admin reported that they discovered PS Wedding’s social media pages were labelled as “user not found” on Monday night. They also noticed a single tick when they tried to contact the company on WhatsApp, while the company’s phone number was disconnected. When they visited PS Wedding’s office on Tuesday, they found that it had been cleared out.

The admin has suggested that other affected couples report their cases to Hong Kong Customs and to TVB’s daily news and entertainment programme Scoop (東張西望).

A number of victims have share their experiences, according to the reports. For example, one victim said she paid over HK$8,200 for a wedding decoration package for her upcoming wedding in December. She discovered that the company's social media profiles and website were deactivated, all showing "page not found." Suspecting the company has closed, the victim visited the San Po Kong office on Tuesday and discovered it was empty

Another victim, who has planned to have her wedding at a hotel later this year, stated that she paid a deposit of HK$18,000 for a wedding planning package valued at HK$37,000 in February. She found out about the company’s abrupt closure through various group chats. 

As of 5pm yesterday, the Consumer Council had received 31 complaints related to the incident, totaling HK$330,000, with one case involving HK$40,600. Meanwhile, Hong Kong Customs has received reports and is investigating the matter, stating that enforcement actions will be taken if any violations of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO) are found.

Offenses under the TDO can lead to fines of up to HK$500,000 upon conviction on indictment and HK$100,000 for summary conviction. Additionally, imprisonment can be up to 5 years for conviction on indictment and two years for summary conviction.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Hong Kong Customs for a statement.

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