Shopping online makes the experience more convenient for consumers. But at the same time, there are risks that come with it.
This may include having orders potentially unfulfilled for a long period of time after paying for them.
On Tuesday (9 Feb), the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) said they received 37 of such complaints against clothing retailer MDS Collections.
Many claimed that MDS had failed to fulfil their orders on time.
CASE has since issued a warning letter to the local retailer and they’re now monitoring the situation.
According to a media release, CASE said they received 37 complaints about MDS Collections from 1 Jun-31 Dec 2020.
Many of their customers claimed they did not receive their orders or had gotten incomplete orders based on their delivery dates.
Some customers even waited up to 6 months without receiving their items.
Others were instructed to collect their orders at retail outlets, but found that they were closed.
Complaints were were also filed over MDS Collections’ online store subscription service.
Some customers who had subscribed to these services said they received unauthorised charges or were charged monthly even though they had terminated the subscription.
MDS’ refund policy also stated that refunds will be processed within 45 days, but customers reportedly did not receive their money back even after months.
Notably, CASE stated that MDS had not resolved most complaints, yet they still continued with their online sales.
CASE has now issued a warning letter to MDS Collections.
The consumer watchdog also assured that they will monitor the situation, adding that they will take action under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA) if necessary.
CPFTA states that it is unfair practice for suppliers to make false claims about availability of goods if they know or can expect that this is not true.
On Tuesday (9 Feb), MDS Collections founder Joe Phua posted a public apology on Facebook and Instagram.
In his statement, he explained that their production faced many problems due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
But he also admitted the faults in their customer service and that they had overlooked many areas of the business.
Mr Phua concluded his statement promising that he will work hard to improve MDS for their customers.
You can read the full apology here.
MDS customers who still have unresolved complaints may seek CASE’s advice here.
While businesses have faced disruptions from production to the consumer front amidst the pandemic, they must still be held accountable to their customers.
Hopefully, MDS Collections will be able to recover from this incident and do right by their customers.
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Featured image adapted from Tampines1 Mall Blog.
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