For songboz as promised.....
Straits Times, Dec 19 2003, Main, page 2
Two years on, no sign of promised club
A thousand people paid up to $3000 each for membership in a country
club near Batam. Now plans for it are shelved.
By Crystal Chan
Two years ago, about 1000 people paid up to $3800 to be members of
a planned country club on an Indonesian island next to Batam.
But after about $1.7 million was collected. the lease for the land
fell through and plans for the club have been shelved.
Now, at least eight of them have asked the police and the Consumers
Association of Singapore (CASE) to help them get their money back
for what was marketed as a Magic Kingdom by Singapore company NOP
Investment.
It was to have been developed on 200 hectares in Rempang by PT
Magic Kingdom, an Indonesian company, with NOP as a major investor.
Rempang is linked to Batam by the Barelang Bridge.
The facilities promised include a hotel, a chalets, a golf course
and even a 1000 sq m shopping mall. The club was to open its doors
tentatively in July 2003.
However, on May 8 this year, NOP Investment called off the project,
a company's senior official, who declined to be identified, told
the Straits Times. But members were not informed of it and some
found out the unpleasant truth only when they asked to visit the
club.
They then also discovered the NOP was no longer operating from Lion
Industrial Building in Arumugam Road, off Paya Lebar Road, when
they were directed to an office in Shenton Way.
There, the company's senior official blamed the Sept 11 attacks in
2001, the Bali bombings in 2002 and the Iraq and Sars outbreaks
this year for the project being aborted.
He said: "The Sars outbreak was the final straw. Some of the 700
members who paid the membership fee by instalments defaulted.
He said the company was unable to inform them of its decision
because we needed to hire auditors to sort out the accounts and to
seek legal advice.
He gave the assurance that the letters on the club's fate will be
sent to members this month.
However, members like Mr Richard Tang are sceptical.
"They failed to inform us when they cancelled the project and moved
their office without telling us. I dont think they will resolve
it."
The 56 year old businessman, who paid the full $3800 membership
fee, said an NOP saleman sold him the membership at his Chai Chee
office. " I just signed the agreement without reading the contract
thoroughly as I was busy," he said.
Others interviewed said they bought theirs at roadshows and after
being approached by its sales agents.
Case received seven complaints between June and August this
year.
It would mediate only if both parties seek its help, said executive
director Seah Seng Choon. But he added: "The safer thing to do in
such situation is to wait for the club to be set up and
runnning."
