Over $35k paid by 16 people: Sudden closure of bed furniture store in Ubi leaves customers in the lurch

Several customers of a bed furniture store in Ubi have been left at a loss after the shop abruptly closed, with their paid orders still unfulfilled.

At least 16 people, who have collectively paid more than $35,000 to Bedchamber Boutique, are reportedly affected, according to 8world.

One of them, Samuel Lee, 28, told AsiaOne last Friday (June 7) that he had chanced upon the store's showroom at Oxley Bixhub last year. 

He ended up buying a bed frame and king-size mattress for $2,049, after he felt that the sales representative was "knowledgeable" and prices were "reasonable".

Lee made two partial payments of $819 on Aug 30 and $910 on Dec 17 via PayNow. Both pieces of furniture were arranged to be delivered on May 9, 2024.

Two days before the scheduled delivery date, however, Lee received a call from the store informing him that his order would be delayed by a month due to a defect in the furniture. A new delivery date was not confirmed then.

On June 2, Lee texted the salesperson via WhatsApp to enquire about updates on the delivery but got an automated reply. When he contacted them again two days later, his message could not be sent through.

After calls to the shop the next day went unanswered, he headed down to the showroom and found that it was closed.

"The store next to it told us it had been closed for a number of days," Lee said, adding that he lodged a police report that same day and has since filed a claim with the Small Claims Tribunals.

Delivery delays, store unresponsive 

Another customer, surnamed Xu, told 8world that she had paid $3,249 for a super single bed, a king-size double bed and a king-size storage bed in April.

The 42-year-old woman was told the furniture would be shipped from Taiwan. However, the store subsequently postponed the delivery and asked Xu if she wanted to swop to a Malaysian brand whose furniture would arrive in mid-May.

Xu said she later discovered that the shop had changed its office address to a virtual office in Paya Lebar. When she contacted the Malaysian mattress company, she was told that it had stopped delivering items to Bedchamber Boutique since March.

The woman lodged a police report on Monday.

Another customer, also surnamed Xu, told Shin Min Daily News that he and his wife, who renovated their flat in January, had fully paid $2,200 that month for a king-size, super single and single bed frames.

But after the order was delayed multiple times, the 51-year-old man demanded a refund from the store in May. The business reportedly agreed to refund half of his payment, but did not do so.

After waiting in vain for two weeks, Xu said he threatened to call the police and was immediately refunded $1,100.

Several other customers also complained to Shin Min about delayed deliveries, the business's unresponsiveness as well as poor quality furniture.

They claimed that the landlord of the Ubi showroom is also looking for the business owner, who allegedly owes four months of rent.

A check by AsiaOne online found that the Instagram account and one of the two Facebook pages of Bedchamber Boutique have been deleted. Its website has also been taken down, and emails sent to the company bounced back.

AsiaOne was unable to contact Bedchamber Boutique for comment.

19 complaints against company: Case

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) said they received 19 complaints against Bedchamber Boutique from June 1 to 10.

Case president Melvin Yong said consumers complained that their furniture items were not delivered and sought refunds. The association is assisting affected consumers.

Consumers who purchase furniture should not make full payment before delivery, Case advised.

Instead, they should negotiate to pay a small deposit upfront, with the balance payment to be made only upon delivery of the items in satisfactory condition.

They should also ensure that the contracts state specific delivery time periods or dates as well as the recourse if orders are delayed.

Those who require assistance with their disputes can contact Case via its hotline (6277 5100) or website.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com