“The story of a Vietnamese tourist who was allegedly scammed in Singapore while buying an iPhone 6 has made international headlines and gone viral in Vietnam,” Chew Hui Min reports for The Straits Times. “The Straits Times found at least 10 Vietnamese news sites, including the websites of prominant newspapers like Thanh Nien News, and Tuoi Tre, reporting on the plight of Mr Pham Van Thoai.”
“Mr Pham had gone to Mobile Air in Sim Lim Square to buy his girlfriend an iPhone 6 on Monday. After paying S$950 for the phone, he unknowingly signed an agreement to pay the shop an additional $1,500 for a one-year warranty for it. In a video, he was seen crying and begging on his knees for a full refund of the phone,” Chew Hui Min reports. “He eventually got back $400, but was still short of $550 – more than two months’ salary for the factory worker.
“Many have since stepped forward to offer assistance to Mr Pham. Singaporean entrepreneur Gabriel Kang started an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for Mr Pham, which has raised close to US$12,000,” Chew Hui Min reports. “While most stories in the Vietnamese media were critical of the shady business practices of the mobile phone shop at Sim Lim Square, many also highlighted the efforts by Singaporeans to help Mr Pham. A piece in Thanh Nien News even compared the reactions of Singaporeans and Vietnamese towards the incident, and asked readers to stop making fun of their own countryman.”
Read more, and see the video, in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Hans Maristela” for the heads up.]