A 20-year-old man who claimed to have been scammed by a Chinese wellness centre went back with his mother to seek recourse, only to wind up parting with more of his money instead of getting a refund.
A Mr Lin (full name redacted) was passing by the wellness centre at Block 333 Kreta Ayer Road when the shop owner invited him in.
At that time, Lin’s left knee and ankle were injured and wrapped in bandages, and the shop owner offered to treat him, saying that he had a “kind face”.
The shop owner did “tui na” and mole removal on Lin, saying that this would set him right with his bodily “elements”.
Lin was charged a total of S$220 at the end of the session, with S$70 alone going towards the price of pills.
Lin felt something wasn’t right.
He told his mother and the next week, mother and son went to the shop to confront the owner.
Lin’s mother said:
“The boss asked whether my son had finished taking his pills and pushed him to buy 14 more pills. Before I could react, he had already paid S$280.”
In spite of that, the shop owner somehow convinced the 46-year-old housewife that she needed treatment because the area between her eyebrows was “blackened”.
She ended up paying another S$160 for the treatment.
Lin and his mother have made a police report and sought help from the Small Claims Tribunal, hoping to get their money back.
The shop owner has denied allegations that he swindled the pair.
He said that he has been running his shop for decades, and has plenty of regular customers who do not take issue with his services.
He added that one needs to be “honest” when running a business, and customers are always told the price upfront and never forced to undergo any treatment.
