Bangladeshi businessman Shaikh Bashir Ahmed, 56, got unlucky at Lucky Plaza – he thought he had snagged a decent deal when he agreed to pay S$2,550 for two new iPhone 5 handsets at Eone Mobile Plus at Lucky Plaza, but ended up with a S$10,103 bill.
Then again, luck has little to do with this unfortunate incident. If only Mr Ahmed had done a little bit of homework before deciding to shop for electronics at Lucky Plaza… just read these comments from TripAdvisor.com.
I particularly like this:
Why do foreigners insist on shopping at places like Sim Lim Square, Lucky Plaza and Peninsular Plaza when even Singaporeans like me do not go there to do our shopping?
It is like moths flying into flame.
I visit Lucky Plaza for their pinoy restaurants, food stuff and such. The place attracts a vibrant Filipino diaspora in Singapore. I do no go there and buy electronic. If you are unsure of prices, visit big retail stores like Best Denki and Harvey Norman. The prices do not differ much. At least there is assurance you would not be ripped off.
As a Singaporean, I am quite ashamed that our police or government authorities seem to be unable to do anything about these unscrupulous shops, exploiting legal loopholes . Are they going to wait till Singapore gets red-flagged in the next episode of National Geographic’s Scam City or for foreign embassies to issue travel advisories against Singapore before we do something?
This is becoming somewhat like the notorious and unstoppable Jet Ski Scam in Phuket. It is really embarrassing for our country’s reputation as a safe shopping haven for tourists.
I got scammed yesterday too.. I was really exhausted coz I didn’t bring much here in Singapore and like my money just disappeared in thin air.. It was roughly a $75 deal I made with the singaporean guy over a Gevey sim for my iPhone.. Now I only have $8 and a couple of coins left in my pocket.. 🙁