SINGAPORE - The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) has started legal action against Mr Chiok Wee Juo, the sole proprietor of three furniture businesses - Olena (formerly trading as Mattress Atrium), Bez Gallery (formerly trading as Michelle Mattress) and The Exquisite Promenade - under the provisions of the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA).
Case seeks to have Mr Chiok declared as having carried out unfair practices. It also seeks an injunction to restrain him from further carrying out such these practices.
In the past seven-and-half years, Case received 44 complaints against his companies for unfair practices, it said in a statement on Thursday (Aug 6).
Case alleges that Mr Chiok regularly took full payment for furniture that was represented as available when he knew that it was not.
In some instances, he allegedly persuaded customers to make full payment for their purchases upfront by asserting that he was giving them a special or preferential price.
In many complaints related to transactions that took place at furniture or exhibition fairs, goods were allegedly not delivered by their promised delivery dates, and were often a different size, colour or model from what was ordered.
Case said that it tried many times to contact Mr Chiok, but received no response. So it decided to apply for an injunction against him and his three businesses.
This is the sixth injunction application by Case since 2004. The last one was against the now defunct timeshare company Concord Developments Pte Ltd in 2012.
Mr Chiok's case is scheduled to be heard in court on Aug 28.
