Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin 'shocked' over Sim Lim Square case
Jover Chew, the shop owner-cum-scam artist behind the Sim Lim Square fiasco, is fast earning himself new enemies every day.
The latest is Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin who called his behaviour "shocking" in a Facebook post on late Thursday evening.
“I’m shocked at the behavior shown. The chap didn’t seem remorseful either.”
Sim Lim Square electronics shop owner, Jover Chew Chiew Loon, duped a Vietnamese tourist, Phan Van Thoai, into paying S$1,500 in warranty fees on Monday for an iPhone 6 purchase, which cost the tourist $950.
Chew was later forced to refund only S$400 following an intervention by CASE.
The Minister said the episode reminded him of other concerns he has been working on with residents on errant contractors, “who drag their feet after causing damage”.
“We should see how to strengthen or adjust our laws to deal with these cases where individuals face such hurdles to seek resolution. Some are disputes that may fall short of violating any laws or regulations, but they clearly assault our sensibilities!”
The incident outraged many Singaporeans.
A video of Pham crying and begging while asking for a full refund at Chew’s Mobile Air store went viral sparked an online campaign to raise donations for him.
Launched by Gabriel Kang via crowd funding site, IndieGogo, the campaign raised about $15,000.
However, Pham only accepted $550 off the donations, just enough to cover the money lost from the scam purchase.
Kang later insisted he use a portion of the remaining donations to buy him a trip for two to Singapore. The remaining portion will be given to another Sim Lim Square shop victim.
The Singapore Tourism Board on Monday said, “STB takes a serious view of errant retailers who besmirch the reputation of Singapore as a premier tourist destination…STB would also encourage consumers to report such unfair practices. They should also take the necessary measures to protect their interests such as researching on the product, conducting a comparison of prices, clarifying return policies…”
They mentioned it in a media release addressing another errant Sim Lim Square retailer, Cyber Maestro.
An injunction was granted against the shop after receiving a slew of complaints including “over-charging”, “exerting undue pressure” and “misleading consumers about prices and availability”.
