Shopping at Sim Lim Square

Sim Lim Square, a popular haunt with many Bhutanese for "bargain" electronics, has been synonymous with notorious service so often it has prompted the concerned agencies to do all they can to combat the scourge of bad service.  It appears to be a place where more than a fair share of pai kias (hooligans) - doubling as sales and service staff - congregate, to make a quick rip-off from unwary customers.

In the news or forums, complaints of fraudulent or caustic service encountered by tourists and locals alike, never let up. It can come to a point where even if you do not write off the transaction as a bad deal, you couldn't enjoy the product by virtue of its association with bad vendor experience.

From July 1 this year, a complaint kiosk was set up right inside Sim Lim Square itself. Aggrieved customers can now log in and make a complaint directly to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case).  This bypass the inconvenience of arranging transportation to file a case - something which often deter time-pressured visitors.

From September 1 this year, the Lemon Law of Singapore also comes into effect. 

All these offer a degree of protection but despite the best precautions, putting right a faulty transaction or tackling product unreliability issues can take time.  Sim Lim Square does indeed offers gems at prices that may be hard to locate elsewhere. It will still be business as usual.  But until there is a more vigorous refund protocol in place at Sim Lim Square, for big-ticket items, the bigger stores around town rules, with their fairer product exchange policy.