Man Complains Over Late Fees, Shop Says Allegations Are Baseless
Cycling is a common and beloved activity in Singapore’s parks. Even amid the Covid-19 pandemic, many cyclists frequent East Coast Park.
However, one Singapore man has complained about his experience when he brought his daughter and her friends cycling over the weekend.
He claimed that when they returned the bikes late, they were allegedly overcharged for late fees.
The bike shop has responded by denying the allegations, saying it’s transparent in its pricing and charges.
They’ve also hired lawyers to defend themselves.
Group rents bikes at East Coast Park
On 26 Jun, Mr Ken Chew shared a Facebook post telling his side of the story.
He said he’d brought his daughter and her 3 friends – all 12 years old – cycling at East Coast Park.
They decided to rent bikes from the bike shop next to the “Laguna Food Court”.
We think he means the East Coast Lagoon Food Village, and according to Google Maps there’s indeed a Bike Stop nearby.
Man said he paid $20 per bike for 3 hours
Mr Chew said he paid $20 per bike for 3 hours’ rental.
According to a photo of a receipt he shared, he paid $80 in total for 4 bikes at that rate.
The rental period was ostensibly from 2.55-5.55pm, on 25 Jun.
While it’s partially obscured, the receipt also shows that there are late charges.
It seems like depending on how late you return the bike, you’ll be charged for either 30 mins or 1 hour of rental.
They returned bikes 43 mins late
Mr Chew admitted that the group returned their bikes 43 minutes late.
That was because one of the girls had gear issues with her bike, and it had to be fixed, he said.
However, he was dismayed when the overtime charges amounted to $60 in total – $15 for each bike.
Another receipt he shared of the overtime charges seemingly showed the amount he paid.
Towards the end of the receipt, the overtime surcharge is laid out.
It says that returning a bike 31 minutes or later after the stipulated timing will incur a charge equivalent to 1 hour of rental.
Man accuses shop of overcharging
Mr Chew griped that in that case, he should be paying just $6.70 per bike, as they rented them at $20 for 3 hours and 20÷3=6.66.
Thus, he accused the shop of overcharging, saying that $60 could be a child’s allowance for 1 week.
The netizen also claimed that a friend had told him that he’d paid just $24 to rent a bike overnight.
He felt that this wasn’t right, claiming the girls were “worried and terrified”.
As they didn’t bring enough cash with them, they had to walk to McDonald’s to look for the adults, he alleged.
Allegations baseless & untrue: Bike shop
Coastline Leisure, who operates the bike shop, responded to Mr Chew’s allegations in a Facebook post on 30 Jun.
They said his allegations were “baseless and untrue”, and they’re a transparent and open business.
Thus, they’ve engaged lawyers to defend their reputation, and legal proceedings are ongoing.
Shop shares another version of original post
Coastline Leisure also shared a screenshot of one version of Mr Chew’s post.
This version is rather different from the post that’s currently up on his profile.
In this one, he accuses the shop of bullying the girls, and makes other allegations that cast aspersions on their business practices.
The post also apparently included a photo taken from Google.
According to the edit history of Mr Chew’s post on Facebook, his original post has been edited at least 46 times between 26 Jun-3 Jul.
Lawyers’ letter says firm operates honest business
Coastline Leisure also shared a copy of their lawyers’ letter.
Titled “Defamation”, the letter states that the addressee had made a number of false imputations against the company in his Facebook post. He also shared them with a number of Facebook groups.
The company operates an honest business, the letter also says, and its pricing and charges are transparent.
Customers are fully informed of these orally and via signage and written terms and conditions, the lawyers said.
Lawyers demand public apology
The letter noted that the post had been shared widely, and has caused the company to suffer “serious and irreparable harm” to its reputation.
Thus, it demanded that the addressee delete the post.
The lawyers also demanded that the OP publish a public apology on various mediums, including his personal Facebook page and Coastline Leisure’s page.
Allegations have gone viral
Mr Chew’s post on the bike shop has gained 2,600 shares as of Monday (5 Jul) night. Thus, his allegations have truly gone viral.
The company has a right to defend itself, though, if it feels it’s done nothing wrong. Such claims can be harmful especially as businesses struggle during the pandemic.
Who do you think is in the right here? And should an enjoyable day of biking at the park have turned into such a serious situation? Do share your thoughts with us.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
