Hi Everyone,
Would like to share my terrible renovation experience with you to avoid such unpleasant experience that i had, and also to seek for your advice on what action I can take against my immoral and unprofessional contractors.
2016 Sep, I found an interior design company “Singapore Carpentry Spaces Pte Ltd” to do my shop renovation. From a few prior renovation discussion with the ID, I had a good impression on him. So I decided to award my project (shop renovation in a shop mall) to his company. The ID was sincere and told me that his company doesn’t have any electrician. Thus he could recommend his partner, SOH CHOON SENG (CS ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING SERVICES), without any price mark-up for electrical work. I finally agreed to use SOH CHOON SENG‘s service and this has resulted in the nightmare thereafter.
I don’t know SOH CHOON SENG and I want to keep one single of contact to make my job easy. So I told the ID from the beginning that I will communicate to him only for all renovation work related. He agreed for a good will, he would help liaise with his partner SOH CHOON SENG.
Initially I planned to buy lights from China and shipped here to save cost. My ID suggested to help me buy from Johor as he knew a few shops there and the price is as low as half to one third of Singapore’s price. I thought it was a good idea and agreed. Until a few days before the lights installed, I was informed that SOH CHOON SENG bought the lights from some local factory at a lower cost. I asked for the price. It was not given to me until the final invoice.
Attached has the invoice for lights. The spot lights are charged S$28 and S$38 separately. I also attached the photo of spot lights used.
If the lights was good and worthy for the prices, that would be fine. In the first two weeks, three spot lights are spoiled. When I asked for warranty, he agreed to come back to change if they are spoiled. (see our conversation attached). However after he had replaced 10 spoiled lights within one month, he stop responding to me for spoiled lights any more. In the last 5 months, totally 30+ such spot lights are spoiled.. This really pissed me off.
This was not the only thing. When he was doing the renovation, he found one of the electrical requirement was not fulfilled as specified in my contract with landlord. I told the mall management and my contractor it should be fixed by mall management. However I overhead the conversation between SOH CHOON SENG and his best friend and the LEW of my side, Ng Yue ham, at the shopping mall escalator. I happened standing behind them. SOH CHOO SENG saw me and keep silent. Ng Yue ham didn’t know me and kept talking. Ng Yue ham gave him idea of forcing me to fix the issue because both parties(mall managements’ LEW and they) will get paid.
I was angry and told my ID what I heard. SOH CHOON SENG explained that Ng Yue ham was 胡说八道. And asked me don’t take it serious.
To avoid further delay to my delayed renovation(this could be another topic of SOH CHOON SENG and my ID), I agreed to help mall management fix it at my own cost if the cost is 1k around. The fix involves the shopping mall’s LEW to shutting down the building electricity and update the drawing diagram. Building's LEW initially quoted me 2k plus, which I declined and refused to do. My smart LEW Ng Yue ham spoke to his counterpart and ask them to split the cost into two receipt and charge me separately so it would look cheaper. However the admin of mall management’s LEW company called me and told me about it. She explained that such method is not allowed and illegal. It once again updated me my impression on them!
There is a lot to say about the immoral and unprofessional things that they have done. The project is really poor quality and pissed me off. I also felt that their price is super expensive considering its quality. However I didn’t sign service agreement with him. What shall i do to make him pay back for the terrible things done to me?
Thanks for your advice in advance.
