Soterior Interior Works

[manukababy 0]

Do not recommend this contractor from Soterior Interior Works. Poor project management, fail to follow up on items and extended delay. The day the cabinets were supposed to be installed, they did not turn up. The guy, who seems to be the sole worker, did not even bother to update us. He even requested for payment for his workers and for materials before the work has even started. As this was the first time we have engaged a contractor, we did not know that we should only pay him only when the works are completed. When the money is paid up, the works were then delayed and alot of pushing has to be done on our part for the works. To date, there are still outstanding works that have yet to be completed.

[blursotong 0]

Anyone has any experience with this contractor (David Heng @ Soterior) recently?

Do not recommend this contractor from Soterior Interior Works. Poor project management, fail to follow up on items and extended delay. The day the cabinets were supposed to be installed, they did not turn up. The guy, who seems to be the sole worker, did not even bother to update us. He even requested for payment for his workers and for materials before the work has even started. As this was the first time we have engaged a contractor, we did not know that we should only pay him only when the works are completed. When the money is paid up, the works were then delayed and alot of pushing has to be done on our part for the works. To date, there are still outstanding works that have yet to be completed.

[Paris 0]

Do not recommend this contractor from Soterior Interior Works. Poor project management, fail to follow up on items and extended delay. The day the cabinets were supposed to be installed, they did not turn up. The guy, who seems to be the sole worker, did not even bother to update us. He even requested for payment for his workers and for materials before the work has even started. As this was the first time we have engaged a contractor, we did not know that we should only pay him only when the works are completed. When the money is paid up, the works were then delayed and alot of pushing has to be done on our part for the works. To date, there are still outstanding works that have yet to be completed.

Yes, I agreed with you. In Aug 2010, I engaged David Heng from Soteria Interior Works to paint my wall & change my toilet door & cabinets. He also collect 50% of the total amt from me before the work has even started. 1 day his worker came to my house to paint the wall & I gave him 40% as a 2nd payment. I arranged 3 times for his workers to turn up to change my cabinets & door but they didn't turn up for work. He would always give me an excuse. On the 3rd appointment when his workers supposed to turn up for work at my house at 9am, they didn't so I called David. He said his workers were being held up at JB & shouted at me that job cancelled. So I expected him to return me the $$ on the following week & he agreed. However, when I checked with my bank, there wasn't any funds deposit into my account. I called him up to find out the reason but he would always have an excuse to hang up my call or gave me a false cheque number & scolded me an idiot & to stop harrassing him for payment. I have been calling him for payment for 3 weeks already & until now, he hasn't pay full. He said his father passed away, his account only has 300, he's jobless, etc....in order to delay my payment.

[joey8 2]

Yes, I agreed with you. In Aug 2010, I engaged David Heng from Soteria Interior Works to paint my wall & change my toilet door & cabinets. He also collect 50% of the total amt from me before the work has even started. 1 day his worker came to my house to paint the wall & I gave him 40% as a 2nd payment. I arranged 3 times for his workers to turn up to change my cabinets & door but they didn't turn up for work. He would always give me an excuse. On the 3rd appointment when his workers supposed to turn up for work at my house at 9am, they didn't so I called David. He said his workers were being held up at JB & shouted at me that job cancelled. So I expected him to return me the $$ on the following week & he agreed. However, when I checked with my bank, there wasn't any funds deposit into my account. I called him up to find out the reason but he would always have an excuse to hang up my call or gave me a false cheque number & scolded me an idiot & to stop harrassing him for payment. I have been calling him for payment for 3 weeks already & until now, he hasn't pay full. He said his father passed away, his account only has 300, he's jobless, etc....in order to delay my payment.

Thanks for all the feedback about Soteria Interior Works. At least I can remove this company from my list of renovators. I am also looking for a good renovator for my office.

[eiffel76 1]

Thanks for all the feedback about Soteria Interior Works. At least I can remove this company from my list of renovators. I am also looking for a good renovator for my office.

ah david...anyw how do u guys even find him? does he stil advertise on classfieds?

[Paris 0]

ah david...anyw how do u guys even find him? does he stil advertise on classfieds?

Yes, he still advertise on the newsapapers, that was how I found out about him. Do you know him? I called him several times for payment because his workers didn't turn up for work yet he didn't even apologised to me but scolded me. If I didn't call him up for payment, he won't pay me back. I believed he didn't even ask his factory to make my cabinets & door which Ihad requested. Otherwise why did he initiate to cancel the job when he told me that his workers were being held up in JB? Doesn't he have to answer to his company? He's irresponsible & inefficient. Owed me $$ yet still have the cheek to scold me. Thus, I strongly discourage people to look for him for reno service.

[eiffel76 1]

Yes, he still advertise on the newsapapers, that was how I found out about him. Do you know him? I called him several times for payment because his workers didn't turn up for work yet he didn't even apologised to me but scolded me. If I didn't call him up for payment, he won't pay me back. I believed he didn't even ask his factory to make my cabinets & door which Ihad requested. Otherwise why did he initiate to cancel the job when he told me that his workers were being held up in JB? Doesn't he have to answer to his company? He's irresponsible & inefficient. Owed me $$ yet still have the cheek to scold me. Thus, I strongly discourage people to look for him for reno service.

yes i act engaged him almost 2 yrs back..would only say he is a case of poor mgmt over money..he has good reno ideas but too bad he never could fully realise it once he is given the job...looks like aft these time, he is stil like this.

[wudimax 0]

guys, have you consider sueing him?

my relative recently engaged a contractor. to put in simple words, the process is delay.

Then my relative look for a lawyer and send a letter.

The total renovation took around 40+k, end up contractor wants to settle outside. so eventually paid 20k.

5k wents to lawyer.

though he managed to save some money. time and effort is wasted due to irresponsible contractor.

This note here teaches how you can save guard yrself in similar suituation.

[eiffel76 1]

haha i jus treat it as a learning process...this is my first home and even for my parents' reno, it was all smooth sailing and i never knew picking contractors cant be treated like picking products off a shelf..anyw david only has himself to blame, if he had properly stuck to his skills and ideas and be more truthful instead of finding excuses here and there, i thk he would make it good....but guess tats the biggest difference bet successful and lousy contractors...

[Paris 0]

guys, have you consider sueing him?

my relative recently engaged a contractor. to put in simple words, the process is delay.

Then my relative look for a lawyer and send a letter.

The total renovation took around 40+k, end up contractor wants to settle outside. so eventually paid 20k.

5k wents to lawyer.

though he managed to save some money. time and effort is wasted due to irresponsible contractor.

This note here teaches how you can save guard yrself in similar suituation.

I think no point sueing this irresponsible person because we have to pay the fees to the lawyer & waste our time here & there & as what you had also mentioned. Even when I threatened to sue him, he said go ahead & do whatever I want about him.

[Paris 0]

yes i act engaged him almost 2 yrs back..would only say he is a case of poor mgmt over money..he has good reno ideas but too bad he never could fully realise it once he is given the job...looks like aft these time, he is stil like this.

As the saying goes, a leopard will never changes its spots. Btw, did you pay him before the work start? If yes, how did you manage to get back your $$? Besides, I feel that he charged too expensive for my case - just to change the toilet door, 2 vanity cabinets & to paint 2 toilets ceilings.

[eiffel76 1]

As the saying goes, a leopard will never changes its spots. Btw, did you pay him before the work start? If yes, how did you manage to get back your $$? Besides, I feel that he charged too expensive for my case - just to change the toilet door, 2 vanity cabinets & to paint 2 toilets ceilings.

yeah overall i overpaid him abt 3-4k...as everytime he wanted to start something he wil ask for cash...in the end the delay was too much for me n i decided no pt flogging a dead horse..got another contractor to clear up and finish the job..

oh to add...i never got back the money..like i said and frens ard me advised take it as a lesson learnt.

Edited October 24, 2010 by eiffel76

[Paris 0]

yeah overall i overpaid him abt 3-4k...as everytime he wanted to start something he wil ask for cash...in the end the delay was too much for me n i decided no pt flogging a dead horse..got another contractor to clear up and finish the job..

oh to add...i never got back the money..like i said and frens ard me advised take it as a lesson learnt.

Oh, thou you may take it as a lesson learnt but that was yr hard-earned $$, I feel bad for you! He owed me $900+ but I pressed him everyday (which was really tiring for me!) & threatened to sue him (even thou he pretended to ask me go ahead). Finally I managed to get back the whole amt. I told him, if I didn't check my accounts & ask him to return my $$, I doubt he will & even said that he isn't a man because he didn't keep his promise, will not admit that he was at fault & didn't apologise when his workers failed to turn up for work.

I also had a bad experience with my uncle who used to be a contractor. Initially we didn't want to engage him but my aunty (his wife) said, since we are relatives, why not let my uncle earned the $$? We agreed. My uncle collected cash from us saying that he needed the $$ to buy materials for us b4 work was been started. But problems came. My aunty would always follow her husband whenever we met @ my new house for discussion about the reno. 1 day, both my husband & myself were shocked & angry to see that our made-to-measure wardrobe was unable to hang the clothes. My uncle didn't ask us for further opinions on how the design should be done b4 he instructed his workers to carry on with the work. My aunty made a sarcastic remarks,"If cannot hang the clothes, then fold them up." I felt like rebutting her, then what was the use of making a wardrobe when we couldn't hang our clothes. We might as well buy a drawer type - cheaper. For eg, my husband's office wear - don't tell me he has to iron everyday early in the morning b4 he could wear it to the office." I also felt like asking her, then what about them, do they hang or fold their nice clothes? Also, the worksmanship wasn't perfect. When I told my another aunty about it, she too dared not ask my uncle to reno her new house.

[eiffel76 1]

Oh, thou you may take it as a lesson learnt but that was yr hard-earned $$, I feel bad for you! He owed me $900+ but I pressed him everyday (which was really tiring for me!) & threatened to sue him (even thou he pretended to ask me go ahead). Finally I managed to get back the whole amt. I told him, if I didn't check my accounts & ask him to return my $$, I doubt he will & even said that he isn't a man because he didn't keep his promise, will not admit that he was at fault & didn't apologise when his workers failed to turn up for work.

I also had a bad experience with my uncle who used to be a contractor. Initially we didn't want to engage him but my aunty (his wife) said, since we are relatives, why not let my uncle earned the $$? We agreed. My uncle collected cash from us saying that he needed the $$ to buy materials for us b4 work was been started. But problems came. My aunty would always follow her husband whenever we met @ my new house for discussion about the reno. 1 day, both my husband & myself were shocked & angry to see that our made-to-measure wardrobe was unable to hang the clothes. My uncle didn't ask us for further opinions on how the design should be done b4 he instructed his workers to carry on with the work. My aunty made a sarcastic remarks,"If cannot hang the clothes, then fold them up." I felt like rebutting her, then what was the use of making a wardrobe when we couldn't hang our clothes. We might as well buy a drawer type - cheaper. For eg, my husband's office wear - don't tell me he has to iron everyday early in the morning b4 he could wear it to the office." I also felt like asking her, then what about them, do they hang or fold their nice clothes? Also, the worksmanship wasn't perfect. When I told my another aunty about it, she too dared not ask my uncle to reno her new house.

ya contractor experience can b real painful...my david case is quite unique...becos initially im not sure wat i wanna do w my aptm, stay personally or let my foreign in-laws stay...so i jus did bare minimal to refresh the 25yr old hdb...probably the budget was tight for him...so in the end i jus took one step back over the whole issue...i act consulted my lawyer fren and his advice is lawsuit or small claims which (1) david may not attend eventually (2) even with money order from the SCT, david may not honour...seriously in sg, consumers are very unprotected...its ironic that this is such a small country and yet we are so disregarded in so many areas of expenditure, jus thk utilities, petrol, public transport..

[tmelvin 0]

deleted.

Edited November 16, 2010 by tmelvin