The Consumer Council has called on the retail sector to proactively follow up on customer complaints and ensure that their handling of any ensuing disputes are transparent instead of solely relying on technology. The call came on Thursday as the watchdog saw a nearly 60-percent year-on-year surge in the number of customer service complaints in the first nine months of the year to 3,078. The figure surpassed that for the whole of last year. While artificial intelligence is widely adopted in handling customer grievances, the council said the technology also contributed to the rise in complaints. Chief executive Alaina Shum said complaints caused by AI-powered customer services rose from 48 in 2023 to 158 as of last month. They included the failure to provide practical assistance and offering incorrect information. "It is also important for the traders to provide sufficient guidance as of how to guide the consumers to use the AI chatroom to obtain the responses that they need," she said. "At the same time, they can actually provide different channels for the consumers to contact them in addition to the AI chatroom in case the AI chatroom cannot provide satisfying responses to the consumers, such as an alternative to contact a human representative to address the inquiries." It is also crucial, Shum said, for traders to set out clear service commitments to allow users to have a clear picture of when they can receive a response. Consumers could also turn to the watchdog's new complaint handling e-platform, which offers a dedicated chatroom for buyers and merchants to resolve disputes and allows complainants to track the process. Since its launch on a pilot basis in November, the platform has handled about 31,000 complaints as of August. Edited by Aaron Tam

An annual survey by the Independent Commission Against Corruption survey showed 99.2 percent of respondents said they had not personally encountered corruption in the past year – the highest figure ever recorded. The survey, commissioned by the ICAC and conducted by an independent research agency between March and May this year, polled about 1,500 respondents through household interviews. The findings showed that on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 representing total intolerance and 10 total tolerance, the public registered a mean score of 0.3, reflecting zero tolerance for corrupt acts. Meanwhile, 97.9 percent of respondents said keeping Hong Kong corruption-free was important to the city's development. A majority of respondents also said they would report corruption if they encountered it, a finding the ICAC said demonstrated that an integrity culture has taken root in Hong Kong. The anti-graft body said the results reflected society's commitment to integrity and high anti-corruption awareness. It pledged to handle every corruption complaint in accordance with the law, resolutely combat corruption, and collaborate with all sectors to uphold Hong Kong's reputation as a clean city. The commission said it would actively study the findings to formulate effective anti-corruption strategies, and would continue to work through its three-pronged approach of enforcement, prevention and education. Edited by Aaron Tam

Hilary Swank is expecting her third child with husband, entrepreneur Philip Schneider.

Five yachts from the Greater Bay Area have received approval to enter Hong Kong waters as a new scheme facilitating such cross-border visits takes effect on Friday, according to Director of Marine Wong Sai-fat. The scheme allows yacht masters across the border to sit for accreditation exams up north without needing to travel to Hong Kong and authorises mainland organisations to conduct the assessments. Visiting yacht owners and masters can submit pre-arrival vetting information online, doing away with the need to do so with a visit to a district marine office. Visiting yachts can berth freely at five designated anchorage areas: Stanley, Tai Tam and Repulse bays as well as Three Fathoms Cove in Sai Kung and Tai O. Speaking on an RTHK radio programme on Thursday, Wong stressed that there was currently no need to cap daily yacht visits from the mainland. “Across the five anchorage areas, we can accommodate up to 115 yachts measuring 40 metres in length," he said. "So we believe we have sufficient berthing space for yachts to dock smoothly where they want. That’s why we really don't see any need for a quota for now.” Wong noted that around 300 mainland yacht masters had completed the training and passed accreditation to operate in Hong Kong waters so far. To ensure safety, he said, the department has set up a monitoring system to track the yachts. The system will alert vessels if their automatic identification system malfunctions or if they accidentally enter restricted waters. Wong added that patrols and enforcement action would also be strengthened in the designated anchorages for visiting yachts. Edited by Aaron Tam