Singapore Infamous Motorshop

[Lmodel]

Extracted from The Electric New Paper, 6th August 2007

 

NOW, HE'S TOLD TO PAY $15,000

 

JUST when he thought he had cleared his debt to society, he finds himself facing bankruptcy.

 

During the four years he was in prison for extortion, the 27-year-old, who gave his name only as Mr Mohamed, did not pay the instalments for his motorcycle.

 

His parents had sent the bike back to the shop he bought it from, and thought that was the end of the matter.

 

When he was released last year, he found, instead of his bike, a demand from the shop for almost $15,000, including interest and storage fees.

 

The original price of the bike was $10,600, and he had already paid $4,000.

 

AT WIT'S END

 

Said Mr Mohamed, a sales executive: 'I don't know what to do now. I am at my wit's end. I thought I could start my life anew, and now I get this notice.

 

When he bought the Italian sports bike, an Aprilia RS 125, on hire purchase in 2001, he had put down a deposit of nearly $2,000 and had paid the monthly instalments till he was jailed in September 2002.

 

His parents then asked the shop to take back the bike.

 

Mr Mohamed's father, who gave his name only as Mr Abdul, said they handed the keys to the people who came to pick up the bike.

 

Said Mr Abdul, 56, a security officer: 'We didn't want to pay for a bike that would be parked in the carpark and risk someone stealing it.'

 

He added that they would not have been able to continue paying the monthly instalments.

 

The family was still distraught with their son's imprisonment, and claim the shop gave them no documentation.

 

Said Mr Abdul: 'We thought that once the company had taken back the bike, the problem was solved and we wouldn't have to continue with the payment.'

 

But the shop's position was that Mr Mohamed had committed a breach of the hire purchase contract.

 

In August 2003, a registered letter arrived for Mr Mohamed from the shop’s lawyers, demanding about $15,000.

 

This included a storage fee of $5,320 for 266 days, from 8 Nov 2002.

 

Said Mr Abdul: 'I was shocked. We weren't aware we still had to pay for the bike, and the shop never said anything about storage fees.'

 

The family of four had been financially unstable. Mr Mohamed's younger sister was studying then, and Mr Abdul was the sole breadwinner, earning $1,400 a month.

 

Mr Abdul asked his son-in-law to contact the shop's lawyer, but the matter remained unresolved.

 

'In hindsight, I regret just letting the matter be, and I thought the problem would go away,' he said.

 

Last month the lawyer informed Mr Mohamed that he could face bankruptcy action.

 

Mr Mohamed, who continued his studies in prison and took a diploma in business management, had just found a new job.He said: 'I worked very hard to get myself out of the pit, and to turn over a new leaf. Now that I have just started on a new job, I am facing the possibility of bankruptcy. When will my problems end?'

 

He regrets his first mistake of turning to crime.'I had wanted to make a quick buck to ease my family's financial problems and ended up creating more problems,' he said sadly.

 

SHOP'S DUTY TO INFORM

 

When contacted, Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said it is the duty of the shop to inform the consumer of its charges if the bike is returned before full payment.

 

The shop said it did so.

 

Mr Seah noted that since there was no instruction to keep the bike, the shop should have sold it as soon as possible. 'It is not right for the shop to keep the bike... for such a long time and to claim... warehouse charges.

 

'The shop is under a duty to sell the bike as soon as possible and use the sale price to reduce the amount it can claim from the consumer,' he said.

[Lmodel]

Extracted from The Electric New Paper, 6th August 2007

 

WE WROTE TO CUSTOMER ABOUT CHARGES

 

THE shop insists that it had written to MrMohamed about the charges involved when the bike was returned.

 

But the shop would not say if the bike was sold after its long stay in storage.

 

A spokesman for the shop, Yuh Loong Motor Company, said they had been told to collect the bike, but they were not told whether the owner would continue to pay the remaining instalments.

 

 

He declined to comment further, saying that the matter is now with the company's lawyer.

 

The shop's lawyer, Ms Kasturibai Manickam, said the notice on the demand for the debt was served on Mr Mohamed on 21 Jul, and he has 21days to pay up, failing which the law firm will file papers for his bankruptcy.

 

Said Ms Manickam: 'If within these 21days the debtor approaches the law firm with a proposal to settle the debt, we will inform our clients and take their instructions, and see if we can settle this matter as amicably as possible.'

 

When contacted, other lawyers told The New Paper on Sunday that when a person defaults in a hire purchase, it's not unusual for shops to claim damages to recover their losses and outstanding interest.

 

One lawyer said: 'In this case, if you look at just the storage fee, it may look unreasonable to ask for so much. But the overall amount that is being claimed does not look unusual, especially as this matter has dragged on for about four years.'

 

Another bike shop owner, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ong, said: 'The usual practice is, after two months of the buyer defaulting on payment, the shop can repossess the bike, inform the owner of the repossession and the market value of the bike, and put the bike up for sale.'

 

According to Mr Ong, most bike shops would give a 14-day grace period for buyers to pay up and claim back the bike.

 

If the buyer fails to do so, and the bike is sold, the shop usually claims service and repair charges and any difference between the outstanding amount and the sale value.

 

[pashley]

yesterday i also saw this news. the shop owner is a ****er.... put the bike in shop for so long also dun wanna sell. the bike was only 1 yr old only, surely can sell easily. the storage charge is $5K??!! ridiculous man...

[kucari]

which shop is this ah?

[Hazmat_83]

Is there any kind forumers who have lawyer contacts that can help this guy out? I kinda feel sorry for him. Some people are just out to make money man... Sigh. 1st world infrastructure, 3rd world mentality. Even after the bike has been kept in storage for 1 yr and there is no news from customer, surely common sense would prompt the bikeshop to contact customer and ask whether wanna sell the bike. WHO the hell in the world wants to store the bike until Storage Prices>MAchine price? I believe in divine retribution man. Businesses that are out to exploit customers will never be blessed.

[jB]

Yuh Loong Motor Companywhere is this shop located siol?

[kambing]

Yuh Loong Motor Companywhere is this shop located siol?

 

amk.. same stretch as speedy motors, opp seng kwang..

4th floor if i remember correctly..

[Echo]

what a nice publicity for this company. they should aware such incident can bring down their reputation and trust. It's obvious who's right and wrong in this article.

[Lmodel]

It isnt hard to recommend a lawyer but is the party involved willing to pay to engage a lawyer?

 

Morally, it is wrong for the shop to do that but contractually, there is nothing wrong with it.

[swirlacer]

bring it up as civil suit lor. sure can fight onez.

[spaiduhz]

shops like this deserve a little pig head on the shutter doors. truly.

 

i mean what the ****? the father already gave the keys to the shop. and the dude was in the slammer for a few years. hell, the ****ing bike was in the shop for a few years. more than enough time to sell off the bike and recoup losses right?

 

bikers. i suggest a gathering.

 

we all line up in front of the shop... and just stand there with our backs to the shop.

 

actual address please. most importantly, which street?

[LollyPoP]

well, if the owner of the biker is willingly post his bike number plate.

[Aie]

I believe in divine retribution man.

If you believe so, then you shouldn't get all worked up with the news report. The owner of the bike was arrested and jailed for extortion. Maybe this is Karma at work here. Now, he in turn kena 'extorted' by the bikeshop...

[yem_paul]

If you believe so, then you shouldn't get all worked up with the news report. The owner of the bike was arrested and jailed for extortion. Maybe this is Karma at work here. Now, he in turn kena 'extorted' by the bikeshop...

 

Yes, this guy did crime but he served his time in jail. What more does he deserve? He said he wanted to start new. Give him a chance. I think all of us deserves it at one point of time. Don't need some greed take advantage of this.

 

So will there be a gathering in front of the shop? I'll call in the reporters ...

[BlackHonda]

If you believe so, then you shouldn't get all worked up with the news report. The owner of the bike was arrested and jailed for extortion. Maybe this is Karma at work here. Now, he in turn kena 'extorted' by the bikeshop...

 

karma ? kamasutra?

aiyah dun anyhow say lah

[Aie]

Yes, this guy did crime but he served his time in jail. What more does he deserve? He said he wanted to start new. Give him a chance. I think all of us deserves it at one point of time. Don't need some greed take advantage of this.

Tell that to Karma. I've got no issues with giving ex-convicts another chance. I support the Yellow Ribbon project...

[Guest NPNT]

Now he is doing his time mah, by kena "extort" from a bikeshop. This is the karma. Not the jail.

[Hazmat_83]

Then the jail is what?

[paiseh]

Now he is doing his time mah, by kena "extort" from a bikeshop. This is the karma. Not the jail.

 

probably jail term is 10% of his karma. rest is 90%

[Guest NPNT]

Then the jail is what?

warm-up of what's to come.

[Demon]

Tell that to Karma.

 

If everyone believes karma really works, then we can close down the courts, and all magistrates & judges can go wash bikes in prisons converted to garages, and race tracks.

[mohgui]

first thing's first, i think the shop did not act in good faith by not selling off the bike soon enough. probably they are thinking they can earn extra bucks by keeping the bike there until the time is right.

 

next, not too sure if the father of the owner did convey a clear message of intention of returning the bike to the shop. whatever it is, the shop should have asked them of the bike's return.

 

thirdly, i really take pity on the owner lah. kena go jail, now repented and then when released, gets hit by this revelation. suai man...

 

just hope he gets things settled amicably without much damages incurred.

[Guest NPNT]

how to expect the bike shop to sell the bike fast enough if there is no buyer?

 

create a super big banner in front of the shop to advertise?

[mohgui]

you don't need big banners to advertise bikes for sale. if priced attractively, the bike can be sold off in no time. i bet the shop just bochap and leave the bike there. that's not acting in good faith.

[Guest NPNT]

bike is an aprillia, a no resale value bike. why would bikeshop put it at an attractive price? bikeshop also wanna maximise profit margin mind u. and this guy's bike is not the only bike in the shop, why would it deserve special treatment?

 

both bikeshop and ex-owner are bochaps in my opinion.