STOP giving Singapore a bad name by preying on unsuspecting tourists.
Mr Muhammad Adam Mohamad Yazid wants unscrupulous local retailers to stop swindling foreign customers.
The 20-year-old full-time national serviceman (NSF) said he has often read media reports about such dishonest practices in places such as Sim Lim Square and Lucky Plaza.
And when his friend's aunt, an Indonesian, was cheated recently, he decided to speak up.
Mr Adam wrote to The New Paper: 'Something must be done to stop this demeaning and utterly despicable practice of swindling tourists and foreigners.'
He also wanted to warn others not to fall victim to these 'insidious' traders.
He said that the Indonesian woman, whom he identified as just Ms Lut, was in Singapore last month to attend a relative's wedding.
Overcharged
On her second day here, she claimed that she was overcharged for a SingTel prepaid phone card at a shop in Lucky Plaza.
The salesman there told her that the card had a stored value of $128 but cost just $80 and that the price was a one-time offer that ended that day.
So, Ms Lut bought the card. But when she tried to use it the next day, she found that it had expired and did not contain any credit. She also found out that the card cost just $28 at other shops.
When she returned to the shop the following day, a different salesman was present and he ignored her when she demanded a full refund.
Only after much wrangling did he return Ms Lut $20, which she accepted grudgingly.
Mr Adam said: 'It's quite absurd. She was severely overcharged for something of mediocre quality.'
Worse, he said, Ms Lut now has a bad impression of Singapore.
Her relatives urged her to make a police report but she decided against it as she was worried about being involved in a long investigation.
Mr Adam said she is unlikely to come here again.
'She wants to write to the newspapers in Indonesia to highlight the (problem),' he said.
She may not be alone in having her time in Singapore spoilt by unreliable retailers. According to figures from the Consumer Association of Singapore (Case), there have been many complaints against retailers in Sim Lim Square and Lucky Plaza.
A Case spokesman said the complaints involved overcharging, misrepresentation, aggressive sales tactics and failure to honour agreements.
When this reporter posed as a customer and visited the shop Ms Lut patronised, the salesman wanted to know if he was talking to a foreigner.
It is this kind of attitude that irks Mr Adam.
He said unscrupulous retailers target tourists as they are less likely to complain to the authorities.
'These incidents will inevitably tarnish Singapore's reputation as a tourist destination and hurt the economy.
'Something must be done to stop these conmen looking only to make a quick buck.'
This article was first published in The New Paper on Sept 12, 2008.
