Woman charged $1,097 for 3 items at Far East Plaza boutique without seeing prices: 'Daylight robbery'
A shopper is warning others after she was 'scammed' at a boutique in Far East Plaza on May 29.
She was allegedly charged over $1,000 for clothes without being shown the prices beforehand.
Stomper Shermaine told Stomp that the incident happened at Angel on the third floor of the mall.
"I walked into the shop, tried on three pieces of clothing, and repeatedly asked the lady, who appeared to be from China, for the prices," she said.
"But she kept dodging the question, chatting with me to distract me.
"I reminded her again to show me the prices, but instead she handed me the card machine and asked which card I wanted to tap.
"The moment I tapped, I saw the charge: $1,097.
"I immediately said, 'Stop! Don't process that,' and asked for the price breakdown.
"That was the first time she showed me the tags."
According to a receipt shared by the shopper, the prices were:
- Unbranded cotton shirt: $599
- Another top: $299
- Cotton shorts: $299
"I was shocked," the Stomper said.
"The clothes were completely unbranded and probably cost $50 to at most $100 a piece if premium.
"My girlfriends know I'm not someone who bargains a lot but this was daylight robbery."
She then told the boutique staff she didn't want the clothes and asked for a refund.
"She claimed she couldn't void the payment because 'she wasn't the boss', and said the money had already 'gone straight to the bank so it couldn't be reversed'," she recalled.
"That's not true - she is the boss, and every card machine can refund if done quickly.
"I had no choice but to call the police."
When the police arrived, Shermaine said the boutique owner claimed she had shown the prices earlier, which the shopper denies.
"The police asked for CCTV, but she made excuse after excuse," she said.
"When we finally got her to show it, there was no audio.
"After the police finished taking my statement, she was grumbling at the side saying I looked like someone 'too pretty and classy to ask about price' - and that she usually avoids talking about price because customers get offended and had told her off for belittling them for being unable to afford them."
Shermaine shared a video of the woman with Stomp making those remarks, and said it proves that prices were not shown initially.
She has since filed a complaint with the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and said the boutique owner is now demanding that she pay extra for the time spent helping her try on clothes.
"She says I owe her for her 'customer service' but this isn't service - this is scamming and bullying."
The shopper said another boutique nearby told her this has happened to others, including a young girl who was so upset she ended up in tears after being pressured to pay.
"If you've experienced something similar - or know someone who has - please speak up," Shermaine said.
"No one should ever be pressured, lied to, or scammed into paying hundreds for clothes they didn't agree to.
"We need to stop these practices before more people get hurt."
According to Shin Min Daily News, Shermaine is not the only 'victim' of this store.
Another customer said she once bought a dress for $300, believing it was limited edition but was shocked when she found the same dress being sold for $180 at another store nearby.
She also tried asking for a refund but was refused.
She later discovered the same dress was being sold at different prices at the three shops owned by the same person.
She was told simply that the materials used were different even though she could not see any discernible difference.
Angel has been operating for more than 20 years and currently has five stores.
When a reporter visited the store, the price tags were displayed on the clothes.
A staff member explained that she tried to explain the prices to customers before but one of them scolded her for looking down on her.
She also said she was willing to give a discount to Shermaine to not make things awkward and said she might have given her a refund if she had paid cash.
View more photos in the gallery.
