'It was my hard-earned savings': PHV driver's $66k used car repossessed 2 weeks after purchase

On Sept 28, 66-year-old private-hire driver Seng Kim Wang saw a Facebook ad that took him to a listing for a used car by Kartiam Singapore on Motorist Singapore.

Dealer Jordy Yong told Seng to pay a $5,000 deposit for the $65,800 Toyota Sienta Hybrid.

Seng signed the sales agreement for the five-year-old car at CarVault-AML's showroom and was told that he would receive the car on Oct 10.

Yong delivered the vehicle to a carpark in Tengah but told Seng that the transfer of ownership could not be completed as it was after office hours and demanded the remaining $60,800.

Although Seng insisted on paying only after the transfer of ownership, Yong said full payment had to be made and Seng reluctantly complied.

"Car rental is expensive. By paying in full, I can work without having to worry about the car expenses," Seng, who has been working as a private-hire driver for six years after 10 years as a cabby, told TNP.

The transfer of ownership remained incomplete despite Seng's numerous requests, which were met with either excuses or silence. Yong repeatedly claimed he was waiting for Motorist Singapore to process the transfer.

On Oct 18, he told Seng that his employer had agreed to compensate for his lost income as he could not drive the car before the transfer of ownership.

But on Oct 22, Seng saw that the car was missing from the carpark.

A Motorist Singapore employee told him that the car had been repossessed and asked him to schedule a time to retrieve his belongings. The company apparently had repossessed all of Kartiam's vehicles and was in the midst of taking legal action against the car company.

When Seng returned to CarVault-AML on Nov 27 to look for Yong, another employee told Seng take it up with Motorist Singapore instead.

"The employee was aggressive, speaking like a gangster would," claimed Seng, who took a loan to buy another car on Nov 20 in order to continue working.

"When I bought the car, I told the dealer it was my hard-earned savings.

"Now my son has become my guarantor for the car loan and I'm struggling once again to repay it.

"I feel stressed and have been losing sleep."

Seng filed a police report and was advised to legal action as the matter is classified as a civil dispute.

The private-hire driver is trying to claim $65,589.31 for the payment made for the car and its insurance, and $7,365.54 for loss of income, but has not received any response from Kartiam.

As at Dec 16, both Kartiam's Facebook and Instagram accounts appeared to have been deleted but its TikTok account is still active.

TNP reached out to Yong but he was unwilling to comment.

CarVault-AML has shared that it has no involvement in this matter and that Yong has been suspended from duties while the company conducts internal investigations. It added that the CarVault-AML showroom was used only for convenience and that the company has no relationship with the transaction.

TNP has reached out to MotoristSG

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This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.