Customer files claim with Small Claims Tribunals over alleged S$11,000 refund withheld by car rental company
A dispute between a Singapore customer and a local car rental company has escalated after the customer claimed his S$11,000 refund is being withheld.
Entrepreneur Jayden Neo, 26, told MS News he had been leasing a vehicle from Charlotte Vehicle Pte Ltd since 13 May 2024 before returning it on 5 Feb 2026.
According to Mr Neo, he decided to return the vehicle after management allegedly attempted to impose a significant increase in lease costs.
Source: sgcarmart, for illustration purposes only
Mr Neo claimed the company attempted to impose either a S$3,888 increase in advance payment or a S$1,670 monthly rental hike.
He said this prompted him to terminate the lease. Mr Neo added that he served the required two weeks’ notice and returned the car in good condition.
However, he alleges the company has yet to refund S$11,000, which he said consists of deposits and advance rental payments.
Customer has taken legal action
Mr Neo has since taken legal action and filed a claim with the Small Claims Tribunals.
He said the claim was successfully served to the company’s registered office on 10 March 2026, and a mandatory consultation is scheduled for 2 April.
Image courtesy of Jayden Neo
The company’s director had purportedly acknowledged the outstanding amount in writing via WhatsApp but repeatedly failed to meet its own refund deadlines.
Mr Neo also said he was given several explanations for the delay, including a “missing bank token” and the accountant allegedly dealing with a relative’s passing.
He added that he chose to go directly to the Small Claims Tribunals instead of approaching the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), as he already had written acknowledgements of the amount.
Car rental company responds on Facebook
In a now-deleted Facebook post, Charlotte Vehicle described the allegations as coming from a “known scammer” and said it intends to pursue legal action for defamation.
The company wrote that it would be “seeking damages for the harm caused by the false information being spread” and urged the public not to rely on “one-sided accounts”.
The post added that while it may not be possible to satisfy every customer, those who have rented from them would know that the company always tries its best.
Source: Charlotte Vehicle on Facebook, for illustration purposes only
Responding to the statement, Mr Neo said he was aware the company appeared to be “attempting to manage the public fallout”.
“However, I have a massive paper trail of hard evidence, including contracts, bank transfer records, and WhatsApp chat logs where the director and accountant explicitly admitted to the owed refund amount,” he said.
Company says legal action has been initiated
In another Facebook post on 14 March, Charlotte Vehicle said it was aware of false and misleading statements circulating online about the company.
According to the post, the matter has been referred to its legal team and legal proceedings have been initiated.
“We urge the public not to believe one-sided stories. Our company has never refused to refund any customer’s deposit,” the company wrote.
Charlotte Vehicle added that refunds may occasionally take longer as it needs to check for any outstanding fines or accident claims in Singapore and Malaysia that may not yet be reflected in the system.
Source: Charlotte Vehicle on Facebook
Company has been in operation for 11 years
Charlotte Vehicle said it has been operating for 11 years, serving thousands of customers annually.
“With such a large number of customers, it may not always be possible to make everyone happy or perfect for everyone, but we have always tried our very best to serve our customers fairly and responsibly,” the company said.
If the allegations were true, our company would not have been able to operate for this long. We will let the legal process reveal the truth.
The company also thanked its customers for their continued trust and support.
MS News has reached out to Charlotte Vehicle for further comment.
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Featured image adapted from Charlotte Vehicle on Facebook, for illustration purposes only.
