44-year-old Chen spent $12,500 on a second-hand Rolex watch at a store Far East Plaza, only for the watch to malfunction twice within three weeks.
When he returned to the store over the weekend to request a refund, the aggressive store owner, 58-year-old Xu, allegedly threatened to punch him:
“When I asked the owner for a refund, he said he wanted to punch me. I called a friend down to help mediate the situation, but he (the owner) became more aggressive.”
Chen told the Chinese daily that he had purchased the watch for $11,000 in February. He had meant for it to be a gift for his mother.
However, the watch malfunctioned just a few days after his purchase. When he brought it back to the store for repairs, Xu convinced him to buy additional accessories worth $1,500.
Two weeks later, the watch malfunctioned once again.
Angry, Chen returned to the store last Saturday, 21 Oct, around 4.45pm:
“I couldn’t put up with it anymore, and asked for a refund.”
Chen alleged that when he reached the store, Xu declined to attend to him and sent an employee to send him away. Enraged, Chen began scolding the store owner. He added:
“The owner became infuriated and threatened to punch me.
“He told me that he would not return to me the full sum, only 85 per cent of the amount. I was shocked by his belligerent behaviour and agreed to the arrangement.”
It was only after he received the 85 per cent refund that Chen apparently thought about the situation and grew unsatisfied. He called a friend who was nearby to negotiate with the owner:
“My friend is bigger in size than me.
“He asked the owner why he was bullying me, but the owner became more aggressive and told us that he would beat us both up.”
Xu, on the other hand, claimed that he was the victim in the incident. He alleged that Chen called his friend to intimidate him, even after receiving the refund and after declining an offer to repair the watch free of charge:
“I offered to help him repair the watch for free, but he did not want it.
“I refunded him the money and he was still unhappy, calling a friend down to intimidate me.
“His friend said he wanted to fight with me and also insulted me.”
When contacted, a police spokesman confirmed that the police arrived at the scene and advised the parties on their legal recourse.