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Apr 19, 2011
Complaints over furniture hit record high
Some companies blame sales people with poor product knowledge
By Jalelah Abu Baker
Drawing the most flak
THE furniture industry was sixth last year in a ranking by the Consumers Association of Singapore of the 10 industries that drew the most complaints. It attracted 1,190 complaints, up from 867 in 2009.
The top three are:
The beauty industry: It drew 3,111 complaints, 51 per cent more than the 2,060 in the year before.
The complaints were typically about failure to honour contracts, leaving customers out of pocket.
The timeshare industry: It came in second with 2,001 complaints, although this number was 522 fewer than in 2009.
The contractor industry: Contractor-related cases, usually for building or renovation works, numbered 1,313 last year, up almost 40 per cent from 946 in 2009.
Common complaints included delays to projects, unsatisfactory work and rogue contractors who refused to finish work unless they were paid extra.
BEFORE: The sofa (above) that was initially delivered to Mr Wan Kut Lum had bits of the upholstery flaking off after three months. -- PHOTO: COURTESY OF WAN KUT LAM
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BUSINESSMAN Wan Kut Lum, 56, seeking to replace his eight-year-old sofa, trekked through more than 10 shops, comparing designs and prices.
He eventually picked a black synthetic leather sofa costing $2,200, but was dismayed to find bits of the upholstery flaking off after three months.
He said: 'It was embarrassing because the coating peeled off and stuck to my visitors' legs when they sat on it.'
With the help of the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), through which he filed a complaint, it took him more than a year and several phone calls and correspondence to get a replacement sofa.
But it came with marks on it, so he called the company. But when he got no response, he gave up.
Mr Wan is not alone in his grievance with such a big-ticket purchase.
The number of furniture-related complaints received by consumer watchdog Case reached a record high of 1,190 last year - up 37 per cent from 867 the year before; the figure was also higher than the 1,077 in 2008 and 807 in 2007.
The first three months of this year saw 277 complaints, putting the industry on track to roughly equal last year's record if it does not shape up soon on workmanship or service standards.
Tables and sofas with bugs crawling out of them, beds showing up broken, mattresses delivered too hard or too soft, wardrobes of the wrong size or with shoddy finishing - Case has heard all these stories of defective goods and broken promises from unhappy customers.
Complaints against online furniture shops are also on the rise - from zero in 2008 to four last year.
Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said if the furniture arrives damaged, the consumer can refuse to accept it, insist on a new set and withhold the balance payment, if any.
If a company fails to deliver even after reasonable deadline extensions, consumers can push for a termination of the contract and a refund, he added.
Those with claims of up to $20,000 can file their case at the Small Claims Tribunals for an administrative fee.
Case can help in one of two ways:
Under the assisted scheme, Case helps the aggrieved consumer to draft a letter to the vendor, spelling out the nature of the dispute and the ideal outcome.
Under the filed scheme, the consumer files a complaint with Case, which then handles the matter on his behalf, including holding mediation sessions for both sides if Case's initial correspondence does not resolve the matter.
Financial consultant Liew Danli, 30, filed a complaint with Case when she ran into problems with her purchase of a queen-sized bed frame with a super-single-sized mattress. She had placed the order with the furniture company last November, intending for it to be delivered before the Chinese New Year.
The bed frame came in the wrong size, a super-single, so she did not accept it. When she tried to get the size she ordered, she came up against poor customer service and lack of feedback channels.
To add to her woes, the receipt she received was written in a code she could not decipher.
With Case's help, she finally got what she ordered in late February.
Mrs Kee Ai Nah, the group director of industry development at Spring Singapore, noting that complaints against the furniture industry had gone up along with those against contractors, drew a link between the two. She said that with the property market being busy, more people were renovating homes and buying furniture, so 'it's logical these complaints increase in number at the same time'.
Seven furniture companies The Straits Times spoke to said the blame can be put partly on sales people in some companies who lack product knowledge and may lie just to make a sale.
However, some companies point the finger at difficult customers.
Madam Wendy Lim, who owns Eco Links, said customers are picky: 'With competition, they think they can squeeze the smaller shops - they ask for big discounts and then complain about quality.'
Mrs Kee, who has dealt with the furniture industry for six years, said rogue furniture makers - as distinct from the retailers - could also be a source of problems.
Amid pressure to raise their output to meet increased global demand, they cut corners, for example, by drying the wood faster, which compromises the finish of the product.
Complaints over furniture hit record high
Some companies blame sales people with poor product knowledge
By Jalelah Abu Baker
Drawing the most flak
THE furniture industry was sixth last year in a ranking by the Consumers Association of Singapore of the 10 industries that drew the most complaints. It attracted 1,190 complaints, up from 867 in 2009.
The top three are:
The beauty industry: It drew 3,111 complaints, 51 per cent more than the 2,060 in the year before.
The complaints were typically about failure to honour contracts, leaving customers out of pocket.
The timeshare industry: It came in second with 2,001 complaints, although this number was 522 fewer than in 2009.
The contractor industry: Contractor-related cases, usually for building or renovation works, numbered 1,313 last year, up almost 40 per cent from 946 in 2009.
Common complaints included delays to projects, unsatisfactory work and rogue contractors who refused to finish work unless they were paid extra.
BEFORE: The sofa (above) that was initially delivered to Mr Wan Kut Lum had bits of the upholstery flaking off after three months. -- PHOTO: COURTESY OF WAN KUT LAM
View more photos
BUSINESSMAN Wan Kut Lum, 56, seeking to replace his eight-year-old sofa, trekked through more than 10 shops, comparing designs and prices.
He eventually picked a black synthetic leather sofa costing $2,200, but was dismayed to find bits of the upholstery flaking off after three months.
He said: 'It was embarrassing because the coating peeled off and stuck to my visitors' legs when they sat on it.'
With the help of the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), through which he filed a complaint, it took him more than a year and several phone calls and correspondence to get a replacement sofa.
But it came with marks on it, so he called the company. But when he got no response, he gave up.
Mr Wan is not alone in his grievance with such a big-ticket purchase.
The number of furniture-related complaints received by consumer watchdog Case reached a record high of 1,190 last year - up 37 per cent from 867 the year before; the figure was also higher than the 1,077 in 2008 and 807 in 2007.
The first three months of this year saw 277 complaints, putting the industry on track to roughly equal last year's record if it does not shape up soon on workmanship or service standards.
Tables and sofas with bugs crawling out of them, beds showing up broken, mattresses delivered too hard or too soft, wardrobes of the wrong size or with shoddy finishing - Case has heard all these stories of defective goods and broken promises from unhappy customers.
Complaints against online furniture shops are also on the rise - from zero in 2008 to four last year.
Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said if the furniture arrives damaged, the consumer can refuse to accept it, insist on a new set and withhold the balance payment, if any.
If a company fails to deliver even after reasonable deadline extensions, consumers can push for a termination of the contract and a refund, he added.
Those with claims of up to $20,000 can file their case at the Small Claims Tribunals for an administrative fee.
Case can help in one of two ways:
Under the assisted scheme, Case helps the aggrieved consumer to draft a letter to the vendor, spelling out the nature of the dispute and the ideal outcome.
Under the filed scheme, the consumer files a complaint with Case, which then handles the matter on his behalf, including holding mediation sessions for both sides if Case's initial correspondence does not resolve the matter.
Financial consultant Liew Danli, 30, filed a complaint with Case when she ran into problems with her purchase of a queen-sized bed frame with a super-single-sized mattress. She had placed the order with the furniture company last November, intending for it to be delivered before the Chinese New Year.
The bed frame came in the wrong size, a super-single, so she did not accept it. When she tried to get the size she ordered, she came up against poor customer service and lack of feedback channels.
To add to her woes, the receipt she received was written in a code she could not decipher.
With Case's help, she finally got what she ordered in late February.
Mrs Kee Ai Nah, the group director of industry development at Spring Singapore, noting that complaints against the furniture industry had gone up along with those against contractors, drew a link between the two. She said that with the property market being busy, more people were renovating homes and buying furniture, so 'it's logical these complaints increase in number at the same time'.
Seven furniture companies The Straits Times spoke to said the blame can be put partly on sales people in some companies who lack product knowledge and may lie just to make a sale.
However, some companies point the finger at difficult customers.
Madam Wendy Lim, who owns Eco Links, said customers are picky: 'With competition, they think they can squeeze the smaller shops - they ask for big discounts and then complain about quality.'
Mrs Kee, who has dealt with the furniture industry for six years, said rogue furniture makers - as distinct from the retailers - could also be a source of problems.
Amid pressure to raise their output to meet increased global demand, they cut corners, for example, by drying the wood faster, which compromises the finish of the product.
