Tempers flare as two men quarrel during 'lousy' Simba promotion at Paya Lebar Quarter
A weekend promotion by telecom provider Simba had already left many customers fuming over long waiting times, and tensions boiled over when two men got involved in a heated quarrel at its outlet in Paya Lebar Quarter mall.
The telecom provider's daily, hour-long birthday promotion from Dec 12 to 14 drew crowds to its service centres across the island, all hoping to take advantage of the attractive recharge and broadband discounts.
At the Paya Lebar Quarter outlet on Dec 14, frustration appeared to peak at about 3.45pm, shortly before the promotion ended at 4pm, when a confrontation broke out between two men in front of a growing crowd.
According to the passer-by who filmed the incident, the quarrel lasted between 10 and 15 minutes.
The 33-second clip, posted on TikTok by user @tinytaleslife on Dec 14, has since garnered more than 99,500 views, 830 reactions and 120 comments.
In the video, one man was seen aggressively confronting the other, while a nearby customer almost became caught up in the scuffle. Shoppers in the mall were visibly drawn to the scene, with some attempting to intervene as tensions escalated.
A woman standing close by was seen repeatedly reaching out to one of the men, urging him to back down and staying close to him throughout the confrontation. Her relationship to him is unclear.
Despite attempts by several customers to calm the situation, the quarrel only subsided after a security guard arrived. The two men were then seen talking things out.
'Simba should not come up with such a promotion': Netizen
In response to the video, some netizens criticised Simba for staging such a promotion. "Lousy publicity," commented one.
Another pointed out that with a narrow time window from 3pm to 4pm, "an exceptionally long queue" was inevitable.
"Simba should not come up with such a promotion... When the queue is very long, emotion flares up and quarrels ensue," the netizen added.
Another agreed: "This kind of so-called promotion don't ever go, just a sales gimmick to attract attention, most people will just waste their time and end up disappointed."
A commenter took a different view, writing: "Thanks to Simba, now the queue-cutting greedy cheapskates have been exposed."
Some pointed out that the two men looked alike, with users even joking that they were brothers.
"Some say they are still fighting till now leh," joked another.
Others were less amused. "Two childish men trying to fight," one commenter wrote.
Stomp has reached out to Paya Lebar Quarter mall for comment.
