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Ex-furniture store owner jailed 1.5 years for cheating buyers of S$148,000

SINGAPORE — Under significant financial strain in 2014, the sole proprietor of two furniture retailers took full payment for orders, even though he knew that he could not fulfil them.

Chiok Wee Juo, 49, arriving at the State Courts on July 17, 2020.

Chiok Wee Juo, 49, arriving at the State Courts on July 17, 2020.

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  • Chiok Wee Juo received payment even though he could not fulfil the orders
  • Two customers paid S$11,000 each for furniture they never received
  • He has made partial restitution of the money owed 

 

SINGAPORE — Under significant financial strain in 2014, the sole proprietor of two furniture retailers took full payment for orders, even though he knew that he could not fulfil them.

Chiok Wee Juo, a 49-year-old Singaporean, ended up cheating 44 buyers of S$147,898. Some of them realised he had moved one of his stores only after heading there to ask about their items.

On Friday (July 17), Chiok was sentenced to 1.5 years’ jail. 

He pleaded guilty to seven cheating charges, with 37 similar charges taken into consideration for sentencing.

He has so far made restitution of S$20,000 in cash and S$15,640 worth of furniture.

DISGRUNTLED CUSTOMERS 

Since 2006, Chiok had been operating various furniture businesses under different names.

He ran into financial difficulties in 2014.

At that time, he was running Bez Gallery in Marina Square mall and The Exquisite Promenade at 106 Faber Drive. Furniture from The Exquisite Promenade was mostly sold at events or exhibitions.

From July 14, 2014, Chiok could not fulfil his customers’ orders. By September that year, he began defaulting on the debts owed to his creditors.

Yet he continued to solicit orders and told customers that he could fulfil them.

Between Oct 12, 2014 and Feb 10, 2017, numerous reports were made against both businesses. Customers had bought furniture and paid deposits or the full sum, but did not receive their items as promised.

They tried to reach Chiok by phone or email, or by visiting the two stores. 

Those who went to Bez Gallery, however, realised it had shifted to the premises of The Exquisite Promenade.

Despite their attempts, some of them could not get hold of Chiok. He gave various excuses to those who did, so as to put off delivering the items.

Two of them had paid S$11,000 each for furniture, such as leather sofas, mattresses, coffee tables and frames for queen-sized storage beds.

In September 2015, the Consumers Association of Singapore obtained a court injunction against Chiok to stop him from engaging in unfair practices. It was the first time an injunction had been brought against an individual for such offences. 

Based on earlier reports, three of his furniture businesses had been the subject of 44 complaints about unfair practices since 2008.

Chiok also ran Olena, which was not involved in the latest court proceedings.

Chiok’s lawyer Foo Cheow Ming told District Judge Salina Ishak that Chiok is now an “utterly broken man”. 

He had been running a mobile store selling bedsheets and pillowcases in night markets, which he had to stop because of circuit breaker measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 from April to June. 

Mr Foo added: “He stands before you, a very poor man at the end of his tether, literally.

“He had made voluntary restitution, which was ironically raised by obtaining further loans and driving himself further into debt. He did so to the limits of his ability to make amends to the victims.”

For each of the seven cheating offences, Chiok could have been jailed up to 10 years and fined.

Related topics

furniture retail cheating court crime

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