SINGAPORE: A man recently complained about his woes when he wanted to buy a TV that was being sold at a discount for S$1,500 on an online shopping platform. He deposited S$800 before he found out that the limit of his e-wallet was only S$999. To proceed with his order, he then used his credit card to pay and applied for an e-wallet refund. Unfortunately, the platform only refunded S$20 after a month.

The 30-year-old victim shared with Lianhe Zaobao that the original price of the TV he wanted was S$2,392. Since it was available at a discounted price of over S$1,500, he immediately wanted to buy it using the platform’s e-wallet. So h=he transferred S$800 to the e-wallet, but since it had a limit, it wasn’t enough to pay the full price of the TV.

“I immediately contacted their customer service, who told me to pay with a credit card first and then apply for a refund through the platform to return the S$800 in my e-wallet,” the man explained.

The man said he paid successfully for the TV using his credit card, and the TV was delivered, but he is still waiting for the full e-wallet refund. He said that an email notification informed him that he would receive the refund within five to seven business days, but he has been waiting for a month without any response.

“Not only has the money not arrived in my bank account, but the balance in my e-wallet has also been cleared,” he declared. 

Eventually, the man received another notification from the platform, stating that the funds had been returned to his e-wallet, but he found the amount returned was only S$20. 

“It’s easy to spend money on things, but it’s so difficult to get a refund!” the man said. With the experience, the man hopes that online shopping platforms can properly handle refunds as soon as possible, and they should always remind their customers about the maximum amount of e-wallets to avoid such inconveniences. 

Consumer rights in Singapore

In Singapore, consumers have multiple rights, namely: 

• Right for repair, replacement or refund of defective products
• Right to cancel direct sales contracts and other regulated contracts
• Right to sue for unfair practices

Moreover, Singapore has a “lemon law” that allows consumers...