SINGAPORE - The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) helped
consumers recoup $439,701 last year, a big jump from the $284,465
recovered in 2013.
The consumer watchdog said the higher amount could be a sign that
more consumers with unresolved disputes involving high contract
values, such as the purchase of beauty packages, cars and
renovation services, are turning to mediation.
Case, in a press release on Tuesday (June 9), cited the example of
a woman who was invited to try out an $18 trial promotion slimming
session. She was later
pressured into buying various slimming packages worth
$88,000, even though she was unemployed.
She later requested for a full refund.
Although Case handled fewer cases last year compared to 2013, it
reported a higher success rate in resolving these cases.
Last year, Case handled 125 disputes, of which 75.2 per cent of the
cases were resolved. In comparison, only 68.5 per cent of the 146
cases in 2013 were resolved.
The sectors with the highest resolution rates are:
Slimming/furniture (100 per cent), motorcar (91.3 per cent) and
electrical and electronics (85.7 per cent).
ST