Exercise tighter controls over the collecting of deposits by businesses

I can relate to the report “Customers in a bind after furniture seller goes missing” (Sept 21), as the same thing happened to me four years ago when I bought a sofa at Singapore Expo.

It would seem that among the furniture businesses that frequent the Expo are some that dupe customers now and then by collecting deposits and disappearing thereafter.

I believe that, over the years, such reports must have been filed with the police or the Consumers Association of Singapore.

Maybe not enough effort or motivation went into collating the data to highlight such behaviour to the higher authorities until the video of the Vietnamese tourist kneeling in Sim Lim Square went viral.

Recently, I engaged a custom-built furniture maker. After I paid a 50 per cent deposit, he has started to play hide-and-seek, for two months now.

The authorities need to come down hard and stringently on this type of deposit collection, where businesses have the upper hand to dictate terms. It seems nothing can be used against them, even with police reports lodged, when they disappear.