Ex-salesman gets 28 weeks’ jail for conspiring to cheat customers
Sim Lim Square mall. Photo: Channel NewsAsia
SINGAPORE — A former salesman of a second errant mobile phone shop in Sim Lim Square was today (Jan 5) sentenced to 28 weeks’ jail for conspiring to cheat customers.
Justin Chew Chee Kin, 36, is the first of four employees of Gadget Terminal to be dealt with. He lured customers in with attractively-priced mobile devices, then tricked them into signing an agreement to make them cough up more money for “warranty packages” — a tactic similar to that of the now-defunct Mobile Air, another Sim Lim Square retailer.
If the customers wanted to back out, they would be forced to accept a lower-priced phone or forfeit most of what they had paid as cancellation charges. Chew cheated two customers of S$503 this way in September and October 2014.
Cases against three other former salesmen of Gadget Terminal for colluding with owner Chung Choon Cheik to cheat customers are pending. Chung also faces eight charges of duping walk-in customers of over S$6,000.
Today, Deputy Public Prosecutor Muhammad Faizal pressed for Chew to be sentenced to eight months in prison, saying cheating offences were a serious violation of corporate integrity. Chew’s offences also caused “deep public disquiet” and affected public confidence in the retail industry, he said, adding that the consumer watchdog received 2,000 complaints against retailers in Sim Lim Square, Lucky Plaza and People’s Park Centre in the past three years.
The court heard that on Sept 30, 2014, Chew quoted a Chinese national working in Singapore S$300 for an Apple iPhone 4S. After the victim handed over the cash, Chew made him sign a document, claiming that it was for a worldwide warranty on the phone.
He told the victim to pay an extra S$480 for this, or the signed agreement would be sent to the victim’s employers. When the police were called in, Chew said the victim could pay the extra charges and leave with the phone, get another phone of lower value, or pay a “cancellation fee” and walk away. The victim took the last option and got back S$12. The police advised him to lodge a complaint with the Consumers Association of Singapore.
Chew’s second offence happened on Oct 12, 2014. He quoted a Chinese national studying here S$380 for a Xiaomi Mi 4 and asked the victim to sign a document, which jacked up the price by S$600 for a two-year warranty or made him pay for a one-year warranty. After the police were called, the second victim paid S$215 to cancel the transaction. For each count of cheating, Chew could have been jailed up to 10 years and be fined.
