I appeal to the relevant authorities to protect Singaporean consumers who end up buying defective consumer electronics, or lemons, and urge companies to deliver on their product promises.

I recently bought the latest model of a mobile phone, advertised as offering unrivalled camera capabilities. It turned out to have sub-par camera performance;it would not focus on objects near or far.

I had the phone camera replaced within two weeks of purchase, but the issue remained. My write-in refund request was rejected without explanation, and the customer service agent advised me over the phone that I could always go to the service centre again. 

Online forums show that product defect issues, such as camera issues, battery discharge and overheating, are common with various brands of phones.

Given the business’ unhelpfulness, I looked elsewhere for redress.

The Consumers Association of Singapore said it might take three to six months to resolve the issue, and even then it could not impose any decisions on the business as the business might choose not to respond. A Small Claims Tribunal process would take at least four months.

Both avenues also required me to pay various filing fees, membership fees or document retrieval fees, which are reasonable, but can add up. 

I am stuck with a lemon and two chains of filing processes that may not yield compensation.

The business, which did not conduct adequate quality control checks before product delivery, or settle the issue after I went to the service centre, may well get off scot-free.

Consumer electronics are not cheap. Are consumers expected to just accept the situation and hope the next thousand-plus dollars they spend will not yield a lemon? 

I urge companies to strengthen quality controls and address product defects, rather than stonewalling customers. I also appeal to the relevant authorities to consider how to protect consumers in such situations. These are significant purchases for the everyman who may find the protracted processes and cost, for an uncertain outcome, too onerous.

Jin Zhi Yan