Saint wrote:You'll be surprised just how many repair bill cost $149!
Yes i couldn't agree more that it could end up over the 150 mark, when they see an expat. Though the worker also knows that the Landlords are pretty up to date on what it costs.
I have just replaced the whole waste pipe from the bathroom basin for 8$ and 30 minutes of fiddling to work the pipe into the drain, because it hadn't been done correctly when the concrete had been laid around the drain. So they had to botch the pipe by sawing the U bend in half, rather than chipping the concrete away, to slide the u bend in.
I also had to take the window air con out, because they had installed it incorrectly and the condensation ran into the bedroom, rather than outside, it had caused quite a bit of damage before the maid had realised to the cheap chipboard cupboards. It cost be 2$ to fix for the piping from the air-con to the drip tray after i set the air con in correctly, so the water ran outside of the building..
I would question anything a Singaporean worker does, because they will find the quickest solution, rather than the best solution to finish a job, and charge you max $ you are willing to pay, rather than a respectable rate.
I ask myself many times how a Singaporean tradesman, can charge more than they do in Europe for poor shoddy work, not possible so don't pay...
By the way I spent 35$ to become a member of CASE....well worth the money....I had a 3500$ sofa which i paid 2500$ for, because i waited 6 weeks to have it made to order, to get the discount.
The leather fell to bits after in the 3rd year, having experience of tanning leather in the abattoir days of my youth came in handy....I knew it had not been tanned correctly...I stood my ground even when they offered me 1500$ to spend in their shop. I flatly refused, because i had extended warranty, and wanted the same sofa. Which they said was too expensive and it had been discontinued.
They said the warranty didn't cover the holes that appeared, and only covered peeling, it was not pealing, and the holes was because it had dried out due to me using the wrong leather polish. I felt very angry at the stupid idiot doing the survey and told him straight he wasn't even qualified to inspect the leather. if he was he would not come out with such a stupid remark.
Correct tanned leather is strengthened not weakened
The 1500$ to spend wasn't an option, because i would be still losing out. So i stood my ground explaining, i wanted a win win situation. and I would fight for my rights. The sofa i had, was out of production, the design was unique and i wanted the design....in the end, they had the manufacturer build me a new one in different leather, which i agreed to.
When the delivery guy came he told me that 4 or 5 of the same sofa's had the same problem so it was discontinued in that leather, though I was the only one to stand my ground until i got what i wanted, not what they wanted to give me.
Off topic i know, but the whole point is, spend 35$ and get the CASE membership, it is very well worth it. I have had other problems solved on the spot by showing the card.
When i sent a watch in for a new battery and they wanted 75$ saying they had to renew the back on my heart monitor watch i use for running, becuase they broke the screw, it was rusty inside because of sweat. I said it was their brand and their problem not mine, even though the guarantee had run out, I always let them replace the batteries.
So if the screw was slanted when it went in, they had done it themselves, not me. The batteries cost 6 $ and I agreed for a new strap and back, that they had put on, but not at my expense I agreed to pay the reduce fee of 10$. I only had to show I was a CASE member, to get them to review their costs.
