Friday, February 22, 2013

Elisa Lam Case: Autopsy fails to find a cause of death for woman found in Los Angeles water tank

Autopsy 'inconclusive' for Canadian tourist found floating in water tank... as hotel where she died is revealed to have grisly history
2/22/2013
http://q.gs/3UxN3

How did woman's body come to be in L.A. hotel water tank?
By Alan Duke, CNN
February 22, 2013 
http://q.gs/3UxOD

Autopsy inconclusive after Elisa Lam found dead in L.A. hotel water tank
2/22/2013
http://q.gs/3UxOv

Elisa Lam Case: Autopsy fails to find a cause of death for woman found in Los Angeles water tank
2/22/2013
http://q.gs/3UxPx


Monday, February 18, 2013

消委會:生產商令電視機短命 迫換機

消委:生產商令電視短命 迫換機
經濟日報 
2/19/2013

消委會建議電視機生產商,應採用可持續消費的售後服務,如提供續保計劃、加強零件保存期等,讓市民有所選擇。
各品牌電視機停產後零件保存期

【經濟日報專訊】在消費主導的年代,市民想活得環保也難。
消委會批評,電視生產商令電視機變得「短命」,該會調查20個品牌發現,半數保養期完結後不提供續保,停產後電視零件最短僅保存兩年,市民壞機想維修也不能,過了保養期換零件,費用隨時超過新機價一半,有9萬元電視機換顯示屏需5萬元,變相迫消費者換新機。



新機9萬元 換熒幕5萬
消委會調查20個電視機牌子,發現電視機停產後,零件保存期為2至10年,當中以創維(Skyworth)及東芝(Toshiba)最短,僅保存零件2年;部分品牌電視機型號停產後,維修服務只會維持1至7年,有10個品牌則稱沒有指定期限。

http://ramsss.com/hk/electronics

消委會又發現,過了保養期的電視機維修費貴得驚人,運費、人工、零件逐樣計,維修費及零件費由500至50,000元不等,而居於偏遠地區的消費者,另需付50至630元附加費,所謂偏遠,包括港島半山。

棄舊機 不利環保消費
調查顯示,過了保養後維修費分分鐘是新機價的一半,試問消費者會選擇修機還是換機?以三星一部75吋的電視機為例,新機價是9萬元,若過了保養期要換顯示屏,須付5萬元,若居於遍遠地區,上門檢查費加上額外收費,即需50,780元才可埋單。

消委會批評,電視生產商令電視變得「短命」,停產後零件保存期短,消費者有機會因沒有零件而無法維修電視,加上維修費貴,影響消費者維修意慾,變相鼓勵消費者換新機,不利環保消費,該會又批評產品售後服務資訊透明度不足。

半數品牌 無續保計劃
事實上,在20個電視機品牌中,有14間表示在無零件維修下,會向消費者提供優惠價買新型號,三星於保養期內可按電視折舊率,提供換新機或退款服務,JNC更表示過保養的等離子電視機,不設換顯示屏服務。

另外,20個電視品牌中,有一半沒有提供續保計劃,包括雅佳(Akai)、海信(Hisense)、JNC、LG、飛利浦(Philips)、樂爵士(Rogers)、創維(Skyworth)、TCL、VDiGi及威獅瑪(VSmart),而有續保計劃的品牌,保費由250至9,589元不等,續保期亦只限1年至3年不等。

消委會表示,電視機生產商應採用有利於可持續消費的售後服務,例如提供合理維修價、續保計劃、加強零件保存期及數量、增加保用計劃資料的透明度。
消委會去年接獲174宗電視機維修保養投訴,較前年增加7.4%。

廉價航空公司消委會投訴勁升兩倍


廉價航空投訴勁升兩倍
晴報 
2/19/2013

何沛謙提醒選搭廉航前要細閱條款,了解航班延誤或取消的安排。 廉價航空投訴勁升兩倍

【晴報專訊】選搭廉航外遊,留心收費細節及條款!消委會去年收到167宗有關廉價航空公司的投訴,較前年勁升兩倍,主要涉網上訂票系統及收費。消委會指廉航遇有延誤或取消,不會轉介乘客到其他公司,故有重要海外行程者不宜選廉航。

Zuji Hong Kong

消委會去年接獲167宗有關廉價航空公司的投訴,涉及網上訂票、收費及服務質素等,較前年的57宗升兩倍。

航班取消 退票照收手續費
陳先生去年透過廉價航空公司網站,訂購由香港飛往上海的機票,航空公司通知航班已取消。他要求航空公司賠償但被拒,其後陳要求退票,但航空公司處理退款需二至六個月,而購票手續費不可退回。

重複扣款 投訴後退回
另一投訴廉價航空公司的消費者則涉及在網站購票,交易完成後收到兩封確認電郵,在致電信用卡中心查詢後發現被重複扣款,經跟進後獲全數退回。

消委會:重要行程勿選廉航
消委會宣傳及社區關係小組副主席何沛謙說,去年本港機場有20,300架飛機起降,接載330萬人次,不過他提醒消費者:「廉價航空公司較少班機,一日一班或數日一班,如遇上航班延誤或取消,一般會安排消費者轉乘下一班航班,不會安排消費者轉乘其他航空公司的班機。」

何沛謙指消費者若有重要海外行程,不宜選用廉價航空,並建議預先買旅遊保險,保障自己。
記者:黃琳

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Intrusive body scanners to be used at cruise terminal, airport

Intrusive body scanners to be used at cruise terminal, airport
Controversial devices that perform 'virtual strip search' for contraband to be installed at cruise terminal and airport, raising privacy fears
Sunday, 30 December, 2012
Lana Lam SCMP

The scanners have been criticised by civil liberties groups.

A controversial body scanning system that can see through clothing and has sparked privacy concerns at airports worldwide is to be installed at the new Kai Tak cruise passenger terminal next year.


Major Victory: TSA to Remove Naked Body Scanners from ALL US Airports
http://q.gs/3Ikhs


The sophisticated full-body scanning system, which can detect contraband such as drugs and weapons, is also due to be installed at Chep Lap Kok airport in 2013.

The scanners can reveal the body naked but the image has been toned down since the first such machines were introduced, with the picture now somewhat blurred. It is not certain if the scanners headed for Hong Kong can detect items that have been swallowed or inserted into a cavity.

Last night, Craig Choy from the Hong Kong Civil Liberties Union, a newly formed group of barristers, lawyers and solicitors, said the body scans amounted to a virtual strip search so the necessary legal requirements had to be met - that is, strip searches can only be carried out on a suspected criminal.

A Customs and Excise Department spokeswoman would not reveal exactly how many scanners are being bought or their cost. She also refused to say if all passengers would be forced to go through the scanners or if they would be used only for those deemed a security threat.

The machines have drawn criticism from civil liberties groups in the US and Britain who say the images could be inappropriately used by security staff. While the scanners are not as intrusive as the X-ray backscatter models which show anatomical details, it is not known if customs will save, transmit or print the images, or if they will have a separate viewing room for the images to ensure passengers' privacy.

The spokeswoman did not say why the department had decided to buy these scanners but said that it had been "keeping a close eye on the latest technology" used to detect illegal items.

She said the scanners were safe, using radio waves to detect the heat contrast between objects such as drugs strapped to the body and a person's natural thermal energy. This would mean faster, more convenient detection of banned items than by an initial physical search.

Law Yuk-kai, director of Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, raised concerns about the use of the scanners for all passengers.

"If the scanners are used indiscriminately, it might amount to serious violations of privacy," he said. "Unless there's a very strong reason, everybody's dignity and privacy should be protected against arbitrary infringement." Law called on the government to ensure their use was in line with the city's rule of law and to consult with the public and legislators before installing the scanners.

A spokesman for the Airport Authority said it had yet to decide if and when it would introduce the new body scanners at security checkpoints.