Unethical Practices By Singapore Lighting At Balestier

[DXTO 0]

I'm writing to warn other users about the shady practices at Singapore Lighting Mart at Balestier. Under the same owner as Lights and Lights a few shops down.

I bought some lights from them on Sunday. Told them I need it strictly by a certain date as I have a tenant moving in on short notice. They promised me that they had all the lights in stock and it would not be a problem.

During the sales talk, the salesperson (small boy named Xiao Yang) pushed me Phillips brand lighting. He told me it was brighter than the "brandless" Taiwan-made light, and also "branded". So I went for the Phillips brand and paid in full.

On Monday, I received a call from them, saying that the Phillips lights were all out of stock. He then recommended that I replace my order with the brandless Taiwan brand. But then he said the Taiwan lights were the same price, so no discount at all. Of course I rejected this, and asked for a refund. He said he would call me back.

On Tuesday, surprise surprise, he called me back to say that the Phillips lights were in stock because his supplier managed to source them. I asked him to bring the lights down to my unit to show me that he had working stock as I did not believe him. He promised me that he would send his men down to my unit and they would test the lights in front of me. I confirmed a few times that I had electrical supply and wiring ready.

His men came 45 minutes late but were not informed at all that they had to do any testing. In fact, I heard one of the delivery men yelling at the same salesperson to tell him that he never told him any such thing (that they had to do testing). The delivery man said they had many other deliveries to do and were in a rush. So they left without showing me the lights or testing any of it.

The salesperson refuses to let me speak to his boss or get a refund. So far in our hours of conversation he just keeps repeating that they can promise that they have stock, even though their promises mean nothing to me since they have lied a few times already.

1. Classic bait and switch technique by Singapore Lighting. Make you buy one brand then try to get you to accept either a more expensive brand (with big top up), or else a cheaper brand (with no refund).

2. Repeated broken promises. On Sunday, they "promised" me that the lights were all in stock. On Monday, suddenly items not in stock. On Tuesday, items back in stock, with "promise" that they would test the items in front of me. I waited in the sun for more than an hour, but no testing as the delivery man was not even told that he had to do it. Now they are promising me nothing else will go wrong. Hmm, wonder how that will go?

3. I told the shop many times that I do not trust them. For all I know, they will call me the day before the scheduled installation to come up with more excuses. By that time it will be far too late for me to engage another contractor and I will have no choice but to use them. They just kept giving me empty promises that the items were in stock and that nothing would go wrong.

4. Lots and lots of excuses and lies. From start to end they have never once apologised, only tried to shift the blame to everyone but themselves. They blamed their supplier for not telling them that there was no stock (then why promise the customer that there's stock?). They blamed their delivery men for not answering the phone, that's why the delivery men were unable to do testing. The salesperson tried to lie that he never promised me that they would do testing at my unit.

I am really at my wits end and don't know what to do. I am leaving overseas soon and have very limited time to engage another contractor if they pull some more nonsense closer to the instlalation date. I seriously regret buying from them.

Hope others can learn from my story and avoid this unethical shop.