‘No money is no excuse’: Hong Kong court told of pressure at beauty clinic to sell treatments
DR Group warned staff not to be taken in by customers who pleaded poverty, manslaughter trial hears
Staff selling treatment packages at a Hong Kong beauty chain accused of the manslaughter of a client were told not to be put off by customers who claimed to be poor, a court heard on Monday.
DR Group issued one internal notice that said: “Don’t give yourself an excuse that they have no money.”
There are no poor girls in DR ... you have to use your brain to work hard
Another said DR staff made multiple times the city’s average household monthly income of HK$20,000. “There are no poor girls in DR. The most important thing is that you have to use your brain to work hard.”
To seize every opportunity, they were also urged to “develop hidden missiles” – reconnecting with previous clients – and to drive home the sales pitch to customers until they had convinced them of the effectiveness of the chain’s services, prosecutors told the High Court.
DR Group head Dr Stephen Chow Heung-wing, employee Dr Mak Wan-ling and technician Chan Kwun-chung have pleaded not guilty to one count of manslaughter by gross negligence over the death of Chan Wai-lam in 2012.
Chan, 46, died of a blood infection a week after receiving Cytokine-induced killer cell (CIK) treatment at the group’s Hong Kong Mesothreapy Centre. Three other women suffered the same infection after undergoing the “unproven” treatment, with one losing her legs and four fingers.
