Singapore Expats

Cheated by salesman’s sales tactics, false info on product and overcharging at Sim Lim Square, Singapore

This is my personal experience. Cross check with many shops before you buy.

On 16th August 2005 I had decided to buy video camera (i.e. camcorder). Same day evening I went to Sim Lim Square, Singapore. I was actually interested in buying Panasonic NV-GS150 model. I heard that Panasonic is very good in camcorders. I enquired in one shop; the salesman said that the price of NV-GS150 is S$1235.00. Afterwards visited another shop, asked the price of NV-GS150, the salesman said S$900.00. Immediately I got interest with the price that he mentioned. Started asking more. He said to me that if you confirm to buy I will show the demo. I said him that I will buy. Well, he started showing the demo of NV-GS150, after few minutes, he introduced another camcorder Samsung VP-D455i for the price of S$1100.00 and started explaining about VP-D455i. He had told me that VP-D455i is very better than NV-GS150. Even though my inside minds do not like to buy VP-D455i, because of his sales tactics I was decided to buy VP-D455i.

Next day I thoroughly checked, and found that it is not at all meeting my expectations. I have found that I have been cheated by salesman’s sales tactics, false info on product and overcharging.

I enquired the price of VP-D455i in Mustafa shopping center, Singapore; Mustafa’s salesman said that the price of VP-D455i is S$699/- (Including better freebies) and the price of NV-GS150 is S$1345.00. After seeing 400 dollars difference, my disappointment worsened.

What I achieved is that money loss, disappointment, time waste; product is not meeting the price level (means high price for available features). It is complete disappointment.

Translated means "let the buyer beware". You can't blame the seller for your own stupidity. Maybe next time you will be a little more cautious and less trusting of sales people. Do your research before you go shopping, now exactly what you want to buy and what the right price is.

If you were sold defective goods it would be a different story.

Thanks for your reply Emtor!.

I agree with you that I am stupid in terms of you. I assume that seller should following minimum business ethics to satisfy customer even he/she left the shop. I do not think they will stand in long term if they do not follow business ethics. These are not good sales tactics I think. Customer should not regret at any case you see. That is my belief. There is no trust now.

He made the sale, plus $400 on top of what he should have sold it for and you think it's not good sales tactics? Why would the seller care if you don't trust him because there's many more people out there he can sell to. We are talking about Sim Lim square you know. Is this the first time you've bought anything there? Sounds like it.

Maybe you should try shopping at Best Denki or Harvey Norman.

caveat emptor wrote:Translated means "let the buyer beware". You can't blame the seller for your own stupidity. Maybe next time you will be a little more cautious and less trusting of sales people. Do your research before you go shopping, now exactly what you want to buy and what the right price is.

If you were sold defective goods it would be a different story.

I totally disagree with you! the ethics of some people are just plain cheats, and many of them. distrust the one in sim lim square and you can distrust the whole of Singapore. it's very bad for your reputation, and your businesses won't live long, but primitive thinking, deserves primitive results.
I will agree that one must do some research, and never believe the technical abilities of a sales person, until proven. after all they are sale people, but cheating customers is not the way to run business.

I'm not talking about ethics. Caveat emptor is latin for "let the buyer beware". Here, maybe this will help.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caveat_emptor

SLS is definitely once place in Singapore where you need to be cautious. Here's a little test for you. Choose an item and get a price for the same item from 5 different stores there. I guarantee you the price will not be the same and there would be at least a 20% variance. (I know this for a fact because i do it all the time when i go shopping there)

Actually if the OP had used my method, the whole situation would have been avoided. But he went to "one shop" only - fatal mistake for SLS.

Go to CASE and refer this matter to them.
Why nag here when there's a better channel
that might be able to help you.

Specially if the salesman used false information to sell
the goods to you.