Woman’s built-in wardrobe collapses on child’s play area: ‘What if it had occurred during a playdate?’
A woman was left horrified after her built-in wardrobe collapsed in her young son’s play area, sparking fears of what could have happened if children had been there.
In a post titled “This could have ended very badly in our home”, user Jaye Yeo shared footage showing the aftermath of the collapse in the Complaint Singapore Facebook group.
The incident left Ms Yeo pondering: “What if it had occurred during a playdate?
Drawers, glass panels, and clothes strewn across floor
Photos shared by Ms Yeo show large shelves and glass panels strewn across the floor, with clothes and pieces of luggage scattered among them.
Additional images show cracks in the wooden flooring, likely caused by the impact of the fallen structure. Her son’s Hot Wheels set was also “completely destroyed”.
In the accompanying caption, Ms Yeo said the wardrobe had collapsed “without any warning” in an area of the house where her son plays every day.
Wardrobe apparently not bolted to ceiling
Speaking to Stomp, Ms Yeo said the wardrobe was installed in 2018. Stomp understands that it was from Ximula, a local furniture company located in Woodlands.
“When we bought it, we were told it could last 10 years, no problem. It was made of tempered glass shelves — more durable than wooden shelves because there are no laminates and won’t peel,” she said.
According to Ms Yeo, it was a pole-system wardrobe that was not properly anchored. Instead of being bolted to the ceiling, the support pole had been attached with double-sided tape — something she only became aware of after the wardrobe fell apart.
“The poles were not bolted to the ceiling... the technician (who was engaged by an interior design company which has since gone out of business) was very confident of his work. When we asked the cabinet brand staff why only double-sided tape was used, they said the technician was supposed to have bolted the rubber rectangle brackets to the ceiling to hold the poles up,” Ms Yeo said.
“We never thought something already ‘installed and completed’ could become a safety risk until this happened,” says Ms Yeo.
She said she shudders to think of what could have happened.
“Luckily, my three-year-old son had already left for pre-school when it happened, so he was unharmed,” she said. “It could have been fatal if he had been playing there.”
As for the cost of re-installing a new wardrobe, Ms Yeo told Stomp: “The main contractor and brand of cabinet have decided to pay for the replacement.”
But she continues to worry for those who may have been served by the technician.
“My fear is the technician or that company might have installed several homes with the same system using just double-sided tape,” she added.
Netizens relieved that no one was hurt
The post, shared on April 24, has received over 275 reactions, 100 shares, and 45 comments.
“Glad no one was injured,” commented a netizen.
“Any before photo? Rack overload? Or kids climb on it?” asked a Facebook user. Ms Yeo explained: “No kids climbed on it. It was not bolted in to ceiling.”
“Better not have (a) glass wardrobe where there are young kids. Thank goodness your kid was nowhere near,” another commenter said. Ms Yeo later replied saying the wardrobe had been installed before her son was born.
One netizen shared her regret at having installed a built-in wardrobe: “A word of advice, nothing (lasts) forever. It’s a nightmare to replace or repair. If non-permanent fixture, I could easily buy a new item and replace it.”
“Looks like earthquake,” commented another Facebook user.
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