Parallel Importers: Recommended ones/ones to avoid

[Wt_know]

I RICH ? seriously?

muahahahahahahaahaha

read the name also must siam 100 meters away liao ...

 

Hi anyone bought from I Rich Motors previously? Any feedback?

 

[longunners]

I RICH ? seriously?

muahahahahahahaahaha

read the name also must siam 100 meters away liao ...

haha, i also find the name "I Rich" funny.

 

Probably a lot of people getting poorer instead after kena cheated by them..

[Titank]

Anyone could guide on how to purchase from PI? Some of the questions are as follow:-

 

(1) What is the minimum to put $$ for booking the vehicle?

(2) Is there a way to see the serial number of the car that would be deliver to you?

(3) Possible to put like minimum 6 bid w/o topup & delivered car?

(4) Warranty is 60,000km 3 yrs or 10000km 5 years?

 

Hope to get more advices in this forum.

[GLZT]

Anyone could guide on how to purchase from PI? Some of the questions are as follow:-

 

(1) What is the minimum to put $$ for booking the vehicle?

(2) Is there a way to see the serial number of the car that would be deliver to you?

(3) Possible to put like minimum 6 bid w/o topup & delivered car?

(4) Warranty is 60,000km 3 yrs or 10000km 5 years?

 

Hope to get more advices in this forum.

All these questions should be directed to the PI themselves.

 

As every PI got different policy.

[Verve]

 tips

 

1) Choose from reputable PIs with nice showrooms , at least you know they are not going to close shop in an instance

2) Buy only from PIs with ready stock

3) Ask the PI to put the chassis number of the car in the invoice and call LTA to check the validity ( If they con you, you can report police as if the chassis number is not as stated its criminal cheating

4) Remember that if price if its too good to be true it probably is, what you have is not a car booking but merely an order with a promise to deliver, we know humans can break their promises and etc

 

and imho not all pis are bad ,buying from reputable PI gives you great value compared to the ADs

[Jusnel]

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/car-buyers-royally-stranded-by-firm

 

30 year old freelance programmer can pay full cash $100k for a Vezel......  didnt know freelance can earn so much? 

 

 

Anyway, another bite the dust.........  Let buyers be aware of PIs............. 

 

 

A parallel car importer in Woodlands Close seems to have closed down, leaving at least 13 buyers in the lurch.

Customers of Royal Automotive told The Straits Times last week that they are owed about $600,000 and have been unable to reach the company's director or staff in the past two months.

The company has vacated its showroom, its Facebook page has also been taken down and website sgCarMart lists it as "not in operation".

The Straits Times was also unable to contact Mr Syed Khairil, the company's director.

Buyers said they placed orders with Royal Automotive from as early as last May, and made deposits and payments of up to $100,000 but never got their cars.

Other buyers said they were only able to successfully collect their vehicles after they forked out more for the certificate of entitlement and additional registration fee.

The company allegedly told them it was in financial difficulty and would pay them back these amounts later. These customers are each owed between $20,000 and $60,000.

Royal Automotive made the headlines in November last year, when its former sales representative, Chua Peng Jun, 23, was charged in court with misappropriating $414,564.

Mr Syed Khairil told the media then that it would try its best to fulfil all its orders.

However, Royal Automotive sent a text message to some buyers earlier this month, informing them that the firm had a "total lost of its liquidity and assets" due to Chua's case. Besides apologising, the firm said: "There is nothing that we can do for any one (sic) of the customers."

Buyers said they were attracted by Royal Automotive's prices, which were up to $10,000 cheaper than other dealers.

Ms C.H. Tan, 48, a customer relations officer, ordered a Toyota Sienta in October and placed a $10,000 deposit for it. In the same month, the firm asked for another $76,888, claiming that the car would be delivered by the year end.

After Chua was charged, Ms Tan said the delivery was postponed to March. But she never got the car. "We don't know what to do next. It's our hard-earned money," she said.

Attempts by three buyers to recover their money via the Small Claims Tribunal were also unsuccessful.

Ms Kristen Teng, 31, an administrative manager, said that Mr Syed did not turn up for the mediation last month. The registrar ordered the company to refund her deposit of $15,000 by March 15, but it did not do so.

A buyer who only wanted to be known as Ms Tay said she was given a cheque for $47,888 in November by the company but it bounced.

"A lawyer advised us to take a civil suit but said there was no guarantee of getting the money back," said the 33-year-old clerk.

At least 30 police reports have been made involving Royal Automotive, and the authorities said investigations are ongoing.

Mr T.T. Lim, 30, a freelance programmer, said he was resigned to not getting his money back. He paid close to $100,000 for a Honda Vezel.

"Let this be an expensive lesson to other people to be wary of such companies," he added.

The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) also said it has received 29 complaints about the firm since July.

Case executive director Loy York Jiun advised buyers to do their homework on parallel importers by looking up reviews on online forums.

[Dafansu]

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/car-buyers-royally-stranded-by-firm

 

30 year old freelance programmer can pay full cash $100k for a Vezel......  didnt know freelance can earn so much? 

 

 

Anyway, another bite the dust.........  Let buyers be aware of PIs............. 

 

 

A parallel car importer in Woodlands Close seems to have closed down, leaving at least 13 buyers in the lurch.

Customers of Royal Automotive told The Straits Times last week that they are owed about $600,000 and have been unable to reach the company's director or staff in the past two months.

The company has vacated its showroom, its Facebook page has also been taken down and website sgCarMart lists it as "not in operation".

The Straits Times was also unable to contact Mr Syed Khairil, the company's director.

Buyers said they placed orders with Royal Automotive from as early as last May, and made deposits and payments of up to $100,000 but never got their cars.

Other buyers said they were only able to successfully collect their vehicles after they forked out more for the certificate of entitlement and additional registration fee.

The company allegedly told them it was in financial difficulty and would pay them back these amounts later. These customers are each owed between $20,000 and $60,000.

Royal Automotive made the headlines in November last year, when its former sales representative, Chua Peng Jun, 23, was charged in court with misappropriating $414,564.

Mr Syed Khairil told the media then that it would try its best to fulfil all its orders.

However, Royal Automotive sent a text message to some buyers earlier this month, informing them that the firm had a "total lost of its liquidity and assets" due to Chua's case. Besides apologising, the firm said: "There is nothing that we can do for any one (sic) of the customers."

Buyers said they were attracted by Royal Automotive's prices, which were up to $10,000 cheaper than other dealers.

Ms C.H. Tan, 48, a customer relations officer, ordered a Toyota Sienta in October and placed a $10,000 deposit for it. In the same month, the firm asked for another $76,888, claiming that the car would be delivered by the year end.

After Chua was charged, Ms Tan said the delivery was postponed to March. But she never got the car. "We don't know what to do next. It's our hard-earned money," she said.

Attempts by three buyers to recover their money via the Small Claims Tribunal were also unsuccessful.

Ms Kristen Teng, 31, an administrative manager, said that Mr Syed did not turn up for the mediation last month. The registrar ordered the company to refund her deposit of $15,000 by March 15, but it did not do so.

A buyer who only wanted to be known as Ms Tay said she was given a cheque for $47,888 in November by the company but it bounced.

"A lawyer advised us to take a civil suit but said there was no guarantee of getting the money back," said the 33-year-old clerk.

At least 30 police reports have been made involving Royal Automotive, and the authorities said investigations are ongoing.

Mr T.T. Lim, 30, a freelance programmer, said he was resigned to not getting his money back. He paid close to $100,000 for a Honda Vezel.

"Let this be an expensive lesson to other people to be wary of such companies," he added.

The Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) also said it has received 29 complaints about the firm since July.

Case executive director Loy York Jiun advised buyers to do their homework on parallel importers by looking up reviews on online forums.

 

can also be interpreted as the cost of the car is $100k. unless they specifically  indicate as paid 100k cash. 

[Jusnel]

This handsome guy..........  

 

Mr Syed Khairil, the company's director.

 

anyone can find him?  

Edited March 27, 2017 by Jusnel

[Char]

This handsome guy..........

 

Mr Syed Khairil, the company's director.

 

anyone can find him?

Looks very honest guy ... who know turn out ....

[Jusnel]

Looks very honest guy ... who know turn out ....

U know what they say abt wolves in sheep's clothing...... The devil will never reveal its true face

[teomingern]

Sigh... why buy from parallel importers? You pay about $5000 to $10,000 less... but if you don't get your car, you lose much more... the size of the potential loss doesn't seem to justify the risk taken leh...

[Finclk]

precisely why i forced myself to get a spec which AD would carry and buy from AD.

[Char]

As I mentioned before if really need to buy from PI only where AD never carry that particular model ... otherwise stick yo AD .

[Loki]

Looks very honest guy ... who know turn out ....

 

 

all the customers were royally screwed in this case ...

[Carbuyer8989]

Looks very honest guy ... who know turn out ....

I think not his fault lah.

Just his luck to kena a bad sales rep.

Most probably declare bankrupt to avoid creditors.

 

"... Royal Automotive made the headlines in November last year, when its former sales representative, Chua Peng Jun, 23, was charged in court with misappropriating $414,564."

[Still2016]

Sigh... why buy from parallel importers? You pay about $5000 to $10,000 less... but if you don't get your car, you lose much more... the size of the potential loss doesn't seem to justify the risk taken leh...

That is the folly of being human.

 

We have to ask similar questions:

 

Why some buy medicine that can potentially kill you from the internet instead from pharmacist?

(Can we blame these people completely? If you just know how much it cost to produce one panadol tablet I can assure you will Peng San especially when you compare the selling price in Watson's Guardian and etc.)

 

It defies logic why some would rather ask advice from COMPLETE strange in the forum and trust them rather than going to proper place for advice e.g. doctors.

 

 

I find the really rich people are often stingy but others call it prudence. Try asking our table wiper for a kopi treat. It is precisely this character that enable them to accumulate wealth.

 

People ask why take the risk when savings are only about 10K. Is there actually perceived risk? Everyday we hear crime rates are down, safest city in Asian, stomp reports citizen found wallet and return to owner and etc People let their guard down.

 

But if for these people who finally get their car for 10 to 15k less than the rest of us, would that make the rest of us who bought our cars from AD look foolish.

Edited March 27, 2017 by Still2016

[Nutty]

Hi anyone bought from I Rich Motors previously? Any feedback?

I called this chap out of curiosity.

 

basically a 1 man show.

 

price quoted on website is much cheaper than what he quoted me verbally.

 

he said he had to do this, else no one will call and enquire.

 

Like that how to buy?

[L23]

I think not his fault lah.

Just his luck to kena a bad sales rep.

Most probably declare bankrupt to avoid creditors.

 

"... Royal Automotive made the headlines in November last year, when its former sales representative, Chua Peng Jun, 23, was charged in court with misappropriating $414,564."

 

Ya.. I also think so.

He is a good man..

Should we open a bank account and start donating to him?