Here's the story, couple of months ago I bought a HTC touch HD at this store. A partner of mine asked me to buy the handset for him. The storekeeper was a nice tall, clean guy. I ask him couple of stuffs and he's quite friendly. He offered me with the price of $930. Then we had a deal. I ask about the brand's international warranty and SHOP warranty. Basically it's like this the store would help me fix things when it's broken or something within agreed period of time. He said yes to both and actually SAID "YES" to both type of warranty and promising me 1 month SHOP warranty.

I don't like being treated like a king, I love to make friends with everyone, including salesman, waiter, waitresses, cashier even janitor. So I try to chit chat with him. But turn out seems that he was digging some informations from this conversation. "When will you be leaving singapore?" "Today" I said to him.

I pull out my money, $1000 while he was writing the receipt.

I hand over the money to him then I check for the boxed set completeness. And then he said "sorry sir, you this is what you have to pay". I saw the receipt and he wrote about 1156. I'm still focusing on the parts, whether they're complete or not, because this is for my partner.

"I thought we had a deal at 930". "Yes, but with the additional tax, this is the final number. But you can claim the tax back at the tax refund counter at changi airport, so basically you pay for the same price."

let's do the math. 1156 - 930 = 220. Okay, this is where my mistake is. I didn't bring or consult with the locals. What kind of tax is that? Next he printed out the tax receipt staple it in a way that the refund amount is hidden then handed it to me. He "make sure" my datas are correctly written there. I guess this is just his way to distract my attention to the tax refund amount.

But I need to go to stop by at Batam before I went back home, so I told him "But I'll be going with the ferry at harbourfront" "Oh don't worry course there is tax refund counter at harbourfront but you should remember the tax counter at changi closed at six and the harbourfront one closed at nine pm" "are you sure about that?" "YES" with alot of confidence. He even handed me over the tax refund brochure. So I paid him the extra money and went happily. This is where my stupidity plays part again actually.

But somehow when I walk back to the MRT station at bugis I feel there's something really wrong. So I recheck everything again. Turn out the tax only about $63. That's $70 difference from what he had in deal. The printed price is $1000. This one I haven't got spotted yet. I get bothered with the refund amount. Just do the math. 1156 - 63 = 1093.

$1093 - 930 = $163

Where did all those money went?

Luckily I'm only halfway to MRT. I'm late for my booked seat at the ferry already so what the f. Hopefully the guy still have some decency. So I turn around and try to make things clear with him cold headedly.

Back at the store I try to make sense with him, and clean my head from all prejudices. He insisted it's the tax. Couple of times. There goes my patience. I ask him for the calculator and showed him the simple math. He still insisted it's the tax.

For a good will I ask him a refund on the item. Because I haven't done anything with it and just couple of minutes after I left the store. But he showed me the receipt with the writing "all purchased items are non-refundable" and make a speech about wholesale market.

"I've told my friend that the price is $930" "Why did you tell your friend that?". I've begin to think that this lowlife is actually an a-hole. I've lost all my respect at him and started to look at him as a criminal. "Let me talk to your friend I'll explain everything to him". Do you really think I would trust him to guard my 5 cents coin right now? ROFL.

I try to ask him for a refund again nicely but he said "I've sold it to you it's none of my business anymore". Almost crying.

So I wonder what happened to the "shop warranty" he promised me. I'm tired already and started to lose control on my temper.

I went back to the tax debate again and raised my voice "let's do the simple math again" I grab the calculator and showed him the difference (the final amount of money I pay him minus the tax). "Where's the rest of $163" "It's for unlocking the phone. If I don't unlock it you can't use it outside singapore"

That's it. I've done my research even the phones that comes with contract are unlocked. And yet at this kind of moment the guy still think about pulling it off.

So I just said "You said this is none of your business anymore right" and he just shrugged his shoulder, lift his arm, tilt his head. I pick the HTC and went off really pissed off.

back at home I was really worried. I recheck everything again and turn out the boxed set is missing the 8 GB microSD card. So I have to replace it with a brand new non-HTC one and explain it to my friend. So the warranty void for the SDCard. Thanks to this store, my partnership are almost ruined. It's damaged already, because my friend trusted me and it look like he can't trust me for these kind of things anymore.

Overall the guy really do it confidently, and very believing. My assumption? He did it quite often, and have become really good with it.

So let see how this shop credibility went :
1. BROKING the agreement and LYING about the price. What we agreed is $930, what was written in the tax receipt is $1000.
2. LYING about shop warranty and INTERNATIONAL warranty. He did nothing to register the HTC to the HTC headquarter. Not even registering it to the internet or something. We had to do it by ourselves. The SHOP warranty? don't ask. It got problem only minutes I left the store and the guy said "it's none of my business anymore"
3. ABUSING the goverment facility and DAMAGING the singapore goverment tourism credibility. Tax refund things. There's no such thing as tax refund counter at harbourfront. But yet he said there're couple of them there. I guess I'm not looking hard enough at the harborfront? Or perhaps there's hidden magical door that leads to the tax refund counter like those in Harry Potter? Lol.
4. LYING about goverment facilities. Unlocked phones are a great policy of singapore gave to its citizens. We can get cheap priced phone and own it without any limitations from contracts. And yet this guy misused it.
5. MISSING 8GB microSD card. Perhaps when he rushing to display the whole part and quickly turn the handphone on was his modus operandi to distract my attention. But I don't want to accuse him of this. Perhaps he just simply forgot to place it back in

But most of singaporeans are all agreed, simlim is a bad shopping place. So this store isn't the only cheating store in simlim. There're alot of worst cases I stumbled upon singapore websites.