If there’s a golden rule when it comes to dealing with renovation companies, it is this one – you never pay the full amount upfront.
Some of these companies’ attitude will do a 180 once they get the full payment, giving excuses as to why they couldn’t meet the deadline or ignoring you altogether.
Ultimately, the only person getting burned in the end is you, the customer.
Unfortunately, as some customers have realized, they had to pay a costly price just to learn this lesson.
No work is done and no refunds
At least 5 customers have raised formal complaints at the Small Claims Tribunals or approached a debt collection agency to try to get their money back when they realized that the renovation company they’ve hired, Ibudget Station (a.k.a. LCT Renovation), refused to do any work after receiving payment to do so.
The person in charge at the company, which is situated on Sin Ming Lane, even refused to issue refunds, claiming that he has no money, telling customers to go and file a complaint at the police station if they want to.
Seriously, what kind of business are they running here?
Customers taking to Facebook to complain
A 39-year-old warehouse clerk is among the few customers who got burned by the company to post about this issue on Facebook.
In a post a few days ago, he mentioned that he and his wife planned to move into their new home on Northshore Drive in January, so they hired the now-beleaguered renovation company to renovate their home in Nov last year.
They found the company through an advert on Facebook.
The company sent someone over to take some measurements and the couple was quoted S$2000 to install some cabinets.
The customer paid the full amount on the spot and he was issued a receipt.
The couple was promised that the work would be done by March 15.
However, when March 14 came around, the company suddenly informed them that the work cannot be completed on time and that they would be happy to issue the customer a refund if he wants it.
After some to-and-fro, the customer decided to cancel his order and get the refund, but surprise, surprise… the company only wanted to refund him S$1400 out of the S$2000 that he paid.
And he didn’t even get his S$1400.
The representative of the company ended up claiming that they don’t have any money for refunds right now, telling him to go to the police instead.
The customer did that last week but he reached out to a debt collection agency to help him get his money back as well.
Attitude change when they paid the full amount
Another customer, a 34-year-old housewife, said that she hired the renovation company via an online shopping platform in March 2020.
They agreed to install some cabinets for her for S$6,000.
At first, she only paid half of the cost upfront, and the company held up their end of the contract by starting the work.
Since the installation is progressing so well, she decided to pay the full amount in advance.
However, this proves to be a bad decision.
She said that the attitude of the renovation company changed completely, and the work was halted.
When contacted, the person in charge repeatedly claimed that he was feeling under the weather and couldn’t continue the work.
Naturally, she was angry and frustrated with the irresponsible attitude of the company. She ended up filing a report with the police and sending in a claim at the Small Claims Tribunals.
Until now, she still has only recovered S$5100 out of the S$6000 she has paid.
Some handy reminders from the Consumers Association
The Consumers Association is aware of the complaints regarding the renovation company, Ibudget Station.
During an interview with Lianhe Wanbao (联合晚报), the spokesperson agreed that the company is at fault here as they have failed to complete their work within the stipulated schedule.
However, the Consumers Association would also like to remind the public that before proceeding with any kind of renovations, it’s crucial to do their homework, so to speak.
This means that it is up to the consumers to find out more about the renovation company they want to hire and to check if it is a reputable company.
It is also important to not pay the full amount in advance. You should set a clear schedule or milestones that the company will have to reach, and then pay the dues according to the work progress.
Featured Image: Google Maps
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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