Singapore—On Monday (May 24), The New Paper (TNP) carried a report about a 60-year-old woman who ended up purchasing $2,400 worth of beauty products at a mall, when she had originally intended to withdraw cash.
According to TNP, on May 8, the woman made four Nets transactions within a span of two hours at an Aqua Mineral store.
Several sales staff pitched their products to her, and although she never bought skin care products in the past, she spent a considerable amount on them.
Her daughter Nurhuda Halim, 23, reported the matter to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), and the family was able to get a full refund.
TNP quotes Ms Nurhuda as saying that her mother was shocked at the purchases she had made, and “did not know what had happened”.
The salespersons had asked her to sample the products as she passed by, and the woman bought one product for $180.
“She agreed to buy one product for $180. Then, she was recommended even more products and it all came up to $2,400,” Ms Nurhuda told TNP, including a neck device worth $1,199 and a wrinkle-reducer serum for $1,000.
A representative of Aqua Mineral told TNP that while Ms Nurhuda’s mother had agreed at first to buy the products, they “respected her decision” to obtain a full refund.
Moreover, the company also offered “our sincere apologies for this experience”.
Mr Lim Biow Chuan, the president of Case, told TNP that the beauty industry is consistently among the top three when it comes to receiving customer complaints. In the first four months of the year, 108 similar complaints have been filed.
The TNP report also carried a warning from Ms Nurhada, especially when it comes to older family members buying costly items.
“One should exercise caution as much as possible, and should they be in such a situation, they should call a family member or someone they trust,” she is quoted as saying.
After the TNP report came out, a number of netizens commented that they experienced similar incidents.
“It feels like the beauty promoter use some kind of magic,” wrote one.
Others warned that they target the elderly in particular.
One woman wrote that she had not been able to get a refund.
/TISG