Lemon Law: Understand your rights as a consumer in Singapore
PUBLISHED ONNovember 28, 2019 2:09 AMByMing Feng
Imagine looking forward to the latest Adidas Yeezy 350 you purchased.
Just to have something not quite similar delivered to you.
Still looks pretty hyped to me.
I’ve had my fair share laughing at all the shopping FAILS memes before ending up as one of the victims.
Yes, I’m a proud owner of an “oversized T-shirt” which covers all the way… to the top of my belly button.
While it is fortunate that my T-shirt costs me $2 from TaoBao, ever wondered what can you do as a consumer if you end up disappointed with defective goods
TL;DR – WHAT DOES LEMON LAW COVERS?
Introducing, the Lemon Law.
Products which are covered under Lemon Law:
- Online purchases
- Purchases from the store
- Second-hand goods
- Items on discount
- Display items
Products which are NOT covered under Lemon Law:
- Real estate, property
- B2B transactions
- Services
- C2C transactions
- Virtual items
WHAT IS LEMON LAW?
Introduced in the year 2012, the Lemon Law was designed to help safeguard the interest of consumers.
Here’s how Singapore’s Lemon Law does it:
Consumers can now make a claim if they were sold a defective product.
A defective product, in this case, means that the product
- Is different from what was its product description
(Tinder profiles not counted!) - Is unable to perform the purpose which the seller promised
- Is not up to a satisfactory quality
If you have a defective product, a claim can be filed anytime within 6 months, from the time of purchase or time of delivery.
Online purchases and offline purchases are both covered under the Lemon Law.
Should the claim be filed, the seller of the defective product will have to either
- repair the product
- replace the good
- fully refund the consumer; or
- offer a discount for the good sold
Do note that the Lemon Law only applies to goods that are meant to last beyond 6 months.
Be reasonable ah! This is not a hack for you to use your shampoo every day for 3 months before heading to the seller to complain and get a refund!
WHAT DOES LEMON LAW COVER IN SINGAPORE?
You are probably going down a list of items which you have bought in the past which are defective.
For a clearer picture, here are the items covered by Lemon Law.
| Items Covered By Lemon Law In Singapore | More Details |
| Online purchases | Technically, most of us shop online. |
| Purchases from store | Physical goods in general with certain exception |
| Second-hand goods | Pre-loved items are covered too, on a case by case basis, depending on the condition of it. |
| Items on a discount | No discount in terms of Lemon Law coverage. |
| Display item | Even if it is the last piece in the store. |
Do note that Lemon Law is only for business to consumer products.
ITEMS AND PRODUCTS NOT COVERED BY LEMON LAW IN SINGAPORE
Here’s a list of items which are not covered by Lemon Law.
| Items Not Covered By Lemon Law In Singapore | More Details |
| Business to business transactions | Lemon Law only covers business to consumers (B2C) products |
| Services | Lemon Law only covers physical goods |
| Property, real estate | No! You cannot refund your BTO or Condominium. |
| Consumer-to-consumer | Buy only from people you trust! |
| Virtual items, token or credits | MapleStory Avatar, Candy crush tokens, etc. |
HOW TO MAKE A CLAIM UNDER LEMON LAW
What should you do if you purchased a defective product?
If you suay suay kena, then this is the guide for you!
1. BRING THE DEFECTIVE PRODUCT BACK TO THE SELLER
If you purchase a defective product, bring the product to the seller first. Work closely with your seller to see if they can fix the problem.
It is important to bring along your warranty or receipt of purchase.
2. DISCOUNT, REPLACE OR REFUND
If the problem cannot be fixed, the seller can look to replace your product.
If the problem remains, despite repairing it, the seller can offer a discount where you get to keep the product and get back some compensation.
You may also return the product for a full refund.
3. REPORT TO CASE
If the seller refuses to take any of the above listed actions despite it being an obviously defective good, you can raise this matter to CASE.
FYI: the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) is an organisation committed to protecting the interest of consumers. They are a non-profit, non-governmental organisation.
CASE will then look into the matter.
This article was first published in Seedly.
