Private investigator Angus Brown's suspicions were aroused when he visited a Hamilton pharmacy.

For he found bottles of skin lotion being sold -- despite bearing labels: "Professional Sample. Not For Retail Sale.'' Now management at Bermudiana Road's Clarendon Pharmacy have promised to investigate.

"I will definitely look into it,'' said one of the owners Nigel Price.

But Mr. Price stressed the pharmacy had bought the bottles from a New York wholesaler.

"They were not free for me, so I don't know why they should be free for others.

"We purchase them and we simply put on the normal mark-up price.'' Yesterday, Ms Sue Davis, of the Consumer Affairs Bureau, said she did not believe the pharmacy was acting illegally.

She added, however: "I think it's tacky. Whether the pharmacy paid for these bottles or not isn't relevant.

"The point is the label clearly says these are samples and the average consumer will believe they are free. The pharmacy should be giving them away.'' A Royal Gazette reporter visited the pharmacy following Mr. Brown's complaint.

Scores of the small, white plastic "Keri Silky Smooth Formula'' bottles were in a basket, waiting to be sold for $1.49 each.

The manufacturers are New York-based Bristol-Myers.

Mr. Brown, who works as a private eye in Hamilton, went into Clarendon Pharmacy this week as a customer.

While waiting for a prescription he noticed the lotion bottles.

"I called Consumer Affairs to ask if it was right or proper that someone should be selling this stuff.

"I couldn't believe someone could so blatantly sell items marked not for retail sale.

"The manufacturers' reps obviously dropped off a couple of boxes of these bottles for people to try them out.'' Mr. Brown was fiercely critical of Ms Davis and the Consumer Affairs Bureau.

"They said that if people are stupid enough to buy these bottles, it's their fault.

"And they encouraged me to write to The Royal Gazette to complain. What's the point of a Government body if that is their advice? "It doesn't seem good enough that this is their only official line of advice.

It seems very shallow advice.'' Mr. Brown found it baffling there were no regulations governing such business practices.

Ms Davis denied saying customers were at fault if they were "stupid'' enough to buy the bottles.

"I said to Mr. Brown that to the best of our knowledge it's not illegal to sell these products.

"It's up to the consumer to exercise his own responsibility over whether to buy these items or not.'' Ms Davis said it was not the first time she had come across this form of practice.

SOFT SELL -- The skin lotion which has controversially gone on sale at Clarendon Pharmacy.