Son says 68-year-old mum 'pressured' into buying $1,200 skincare product in Nex, shop responds
Update on Nov 6:
Shop makes police report against Stomper claiming mum pressured into buying $1,200 skincare product
Original article:
A man is unhappy that his 68-year-old mum was "pressured" into buying a $1,200 skincare product in Nex shopping mall.
The shop has since refunded the money.
Stomper Amos shared a photo of a receipt dated May 28 from a shop called The Mineral Boutique for a product called Instantly Tight Under Eye Elasticity Aid Express.
He said: "My 68-year-old non-English speaking mother was pressured to buy a 10ml bottle of eye-tightening liquid for $1,200."
On a website called VIP Extra, the out-of-stock product is priced at HK$4,880 or about S$820.
The Stomper said: "As many shoppers complained in its Google Reviews, The Mineral Boutique has been exerting predatory pressure-selling and unethical sale tactics on elderly shoppers, aggressively forcing them to buy its skincare products."
He added that the staff members were touting in the mall outside the shop.
"The retail manager kept pestering my mother to reveal her credit cards when my mother said 'no no no' and replied that she had no money," said the Stomper.
"Moreover, The Mineral Boutique's products are astronomically and unjustifiably expensive. How can a 10ml bottle of eye-tightening liquid cost $1,200? In my experience, an alternative brand costs only less than $150."
In response to a Stomp query, a spokesperson for The Mineral Boutique said: "At The Mineral Boutique, we take pride in providing exceptional customer service and maintaining the highest standards in the beauty industry, serving over 2,000 satisfied clients annually.
"We regret that the product purchased by Madam Tan on May 28 did not meet her expectations.
"During her visit to our shop, Madam Tan spent time engaging with our staff and was invited to try the product at our demonstration station. After trying the product and expressing satisfaction, she decided to proceed with the purchase.
"As part of our customer-first approach, we offer a no-questions-asked refund policy within a seven-day cooling-off period. Madam Tan returned to the shop on May 31 with her son to request a refund. In line with our policy, we processed the full refund within three days, completing it on June 3.
"We have provided Madam Tan and her son with a detailed explanation regarding the product and the refund process, and we trust that this matter has been resolved to their satisfaction."
The son told Stomp: "The company did make a refund to my mother after a while, but I wish to maintain my stand that touting did take place outside their outlets and touting is illegal in Singapore.
"According to my mother, she expressed the intention to leave the shop numerous times, but the salespeople insisted that she remain seated to test the products. The retail manager even offered her a slice of cake, using a soft approach to make my mother part with her money. Feeling embarrassed, my mother eventually made the purchase."
The Stomper is right about touting being illegal.
It is an offence for any individual to solicit for any business on any public road or public place in a manner that causes annoyance to others. Upon conviction, the offender may be liable to a fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $5,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both.
When contacted by Stomp, a spokesperson for Nex said: ""We do not allow touting in our malls, and regularly remind our tenants of this policy and their obligations, in addition to stepping up on security patrols.
"We take such feedback seriously and are committed to providing a pleasant shopping environment for everyone."
The Mineral Boutique spokesperson told Stomp: "We are fully aware of the mall's regulations regarding touting, and our management enforces these rules very strictly.
"Our staff are strictly limited to operating within the shopfront area and are not permitted to leave the store. We take this matter very seriously, and disciplinary actions are taken immediately if any staff fail to follow these instructions.
"We believe there may have been a misconception, as our daily operations involve beauty advisors offering product samples within our shopfront and inviting customers in for demonstrations. If a customer agrees to a trial, we seat them at our demonstration station where we perform the demonstration and provide a detailed explanation of the products."
The Mineral Boutique also has outlets in Jewel Changi Airport and Wheelock Place.
In response to a Stomp query, Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) president Melvin Yong said that from Jan 1 to Oct 9 Oct, the association had received six complaints against The Mineral Boutique at Nex.
"In general, consumers complained that they were subjected to pressure sales tactics to buy beauty products and services," said Mr Yong.
Under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act it is an unfair practice for a business to take advantage of a consumer by exerting undue pressure or undue influence on the consumer to enter into a purchase transaction.
Mr Yong added that Case encourages consumers to patronise CaseTrust-accredited beauty, spa and wellness businesses as they offer a five-day cooling-off period for refund of unutilised services if they do not wish to proceed with their packages. CaseTrust-accredited businesses are also committed to ensure a stress-free treatment with a "no selling" policy during treatment.
The Mineral Boutique spokesperson told Stomp: "We are aware of the cases filed with Case, all of which were promptly addressed and resolved with a full refund, except for one instance where the customer chose to continue using our services.
"These six cases occurred across two outlets. Given that we serve over 2,000 customers annually, six cases constitute a minimal percentage.
"We regularly conduct training for our sales team and continuously monitor their performance, implementing additional training and taking disciplinary actions when needed.
"Furthermore, with our no-questions-asked refund policy for returns made within 7 days, there is no reason for hard selling, as customers are entitled to refunds per the terms of the policy.
"To further reduce the likelihood of hard selling and complaints, we started printing our refund policy on receipts two months ago.
"At The Mineral Boutique, we remain dedicated to ensuring that every customer feels supported and cared for, and we will continue to uphold our commitment to excellent service and transparency."
