Unethical and Big Bully Retail Store at Sim Lim Square

[Transworld]

Anybody read this before?

 

Dear All,

Be careful.

I went to Sim Lim Square on Sunday, 17/06/07 with the intention

to purchase a PSP. After scouting for sometimes, my friend and

I came to this shop known as Mobile House Electronics Pte Ltd

to check on the pricing of the PSP. After much haggling, the

sale person offered a standard PSP pack with a 4GB memory stick

to us at the price of $420 inclusive of GST, which we

eventually bought it.

 

To our dismay, we realized that there was a missing battery

from the pack when we reached home. Hence, I went down to the

shop on the following day afternoon, 18/06/07 , Monday to ask

for my missing item. However, when I ask the sale person for my

battery, he told me angrily that the standard pack does not

come with a battery and only the value pack does.

 

Then after I requested to upgrade to the value pack by topping

on money where later he say that it was out of stock and

further said we are not allowed to change and insisted on me in

purchasing the battery instead. Leaving me with no choice, I

have to just buy the battery in order for my PSP to work. He

first quoted me a price of $75 for the normal battery but

further persuaded me to buy a higher capacity battery with

longer battery life and comes with a warranty which we agreed

at the price of $105 with GST. In total, I paid $525 for my

PSP.

 

Later, when I told my friends about this, they told me that I

had been conned as the standard pack of PSP does include the

battery and moreover, the so-called "high capacity" battery

that I paid for was actually the normal battery that was

available in all PSP package.

 

Upon realizing this information, I went down to the shop again

in the evening with my uncle and wanted to ask for a refund for

the battery cost. Before doing do, I even went over to three

other shops in the same complex to check out the prices for

comparison. To my surprises, three other vendors quoted me at a

much lower price of $30 or more, which all included the battery

in their standard package.

 

Therefore, I went back to the shop to look for the sale person.

His colleague, a medium built Chinese man in his mid thirties,

claimed that he was not around. I recited the incident to him,

asked him politely for his help. Instead of being helpful or

even clarify the matter further, he pointed his finger at me

and said that it was my fault that we assume and did not ask

properly before purchasing. He started to raise his voice and

smirk at me, asking me to go ahead and call the police or

report it to CASE if I want to, saying that he is not afraid. I

am seriously feel threaten and been bullied by the 2 sale

persons.

 

Hence, my uncle did report to the police. When the 2 policemen

arrived and investigated, all I am asking is just the refund of

the cost of battery, but of no avail. No wonder both arrogant

sale persons were not afraid and even dare us to report to the

relevant authorities. I am seriously very disappointed and was

flabbergasted by those two sale persons' behaviour as right

from the start. I am the helpless victim who was cheated by

this dishonorable shop!!!!

 

Therefore I am writing in to you, hoping that you can help me

and those future innocent parties from getting cheated and

conned by this unethical shop and big bully again.

 

If really the authorities cannot work on them, hopefully the

media can help to warn the publics that such thing is happening

in Sim Lim Square .

 

Yours Truly.

 

   

Thanks!

 

Adeline

 

[Guest jonlee]

Buy from SLS is like that one lah... :P

 

This practice quite common, especially for cameras.  No battery, no bag, no memory card, no warranty card, no lens, no charger, etc...

 

Well, at least never heard of buy camera open up no body.  ;D

[redryder]

Nowadays before you buy an electronic product you really need to do the research first. There is a ton of information online on how to ensure that you don't get ripped off.

 

For example, Gameaxis.com (a local gaming forum) has a sticky thread with the typical cons that disreputable dealers pull off when buying consoles and handhelds. One common example that people overlook is being charged GST for export products - the GST doesn't go to the government, but straight into the retailer's pocket.

[armoury]

Hence, I never buy electronics at Sim Lim, unless it's something almost throwaway like earphones where I know exactly what model I want, and what the price is at the big stores.  One "good" thing about the big chains like Harvey Norman and Courts is that it gives you a reasonable idea as to what the price of any item is, i.e. it's fair but not ultra-cheap, and if you can find the exact same item at SLS for a lower price, with everything included, then by all means.

 

But for more specialist items, e.g. speakers or amps, the chain stores might not carry them.  In which case in the long term I'd say it is better for you to develop a good relationship with a trustworthy store.  They might cost a little bit more, but they won't rip you off, knowing that us die-hards inevitably suffer from upgradeitis and will be back to spend more.

[Guest jonlee]

Another known tatic for selling digital cameras. 

 

U go in asking for a specific model (because u have done the price comparison before hand).  They quote u a low price.  Do a demo and take pic and view from computer through a cable, quality so so.

 

They then recommend u another camera.  Take pic and view from computer through another cable.  Wah, quality so much better.

 

Thinking that the shop had quoted u very good price for the original product u had in mind (and researched before), thus believing the new price quoted for the recommended product should also be very good (which u had no benchmark to compare before), u did not bargain too hard and took their quoted price with little discount.

 

Bamm...u just became another CARROT!

[wyvern]

So far I only go SLS for my PC stuff. All the other electronic shops from level 1 to 3 are all crap. I feel like walking in the zoo with all the hyenas looking at their prey, drooling. Anyway 99% of the shops are patronised by tourists. There was once my 'gong gong' wife went to this Hai Chew shop to buy a 1 gig CF card and was quoted $100++ whereas it cost only 80++ at Active Photo on level 4.

 

The best way to close down all these shops is to wait for STB to publish in their guide to divert all the tourists to Best Denki, Harvey Norman.. slowly, they will die naturally.

[Guest jonlee]

At SLS, many shops different names, but all same boss.  If one shop kenna blacklisted by STB, they will just simply change name and swap the sales person to/from another shop.

 

To the unknown, it is like the blacklist shop had closed down.