Champion Republic, Singapore…..three reasons NOT to renovate your bathroom with Champion Republic

Their website proclaimed: “We are well known for offering the most reputable and impressive lines of home products in the market.  Our brand is renowned for its high quality, exquisite appearance and trendy design. We are devoted to uncovering and sharing the latest and greatest products for home.” Their strategy is obviously very hardware-driven. Champion Republic, I have news for you…outstanding products do not make a company great without excellent service that does along with it.

All went fine when one of their workers came to inspect and measure my shower stall. He collected $100 deposit out of the $350 total. He committed to install within 3-5 days. That was where the problems began. After 3 days, my wife called him to enquire the exact date and time when he would install the shower screen. His reply? “You don’t chase me. The more you chase me, the longer you will have to wait.” Unbelievable!!! He subsequently grudgingly committed to actioning on Saturday. When pressed for a time slot for Saturday, he simply replied, “I don’t know” and hung up on her. The cheek of it. That’s when I jumped in and called him up. After I persisted in insisting for a time commitment, he committed 11am to 12noon time slot. However, late Friday night, he called me and claimed he is in Johor Baru and lost his passport and won’t be able to carry out the installation till Monday. When I told him I wanted to cancel the order and asked for the refund of my deposit, he said that was impossible. The next day, I managed to get hold of one of his colleagues to arrange for someone else to do the installation was told all their men were busy and they could only possibly do it around 5pm to 6pm. Because the condo rules stated that no such work can be carried out after 12noon on a Saturday, I decided to cancel the order and my deposit had to be forfeited.

So if you are in the market for a shower screen are considering Champion Republic, then closely read these three reasons NOT to renovate your bathroom with them:

1. The sparkle ends when the deposit is paid. The worker who measured the shower stall seemed knowledgeable. He guided us through the myriad choices and budget options. Nothing was a problem and his suggestions really did help. But once the deposit is paid, you are in a whole other world. The pleasant guy is replaced by the grumpy, uncommunicative subcontractor who threatens, speaks rudely, raises his voice and slams down the phone on your. There will be problems and a million reasons why something cannot be done.

2. The supervisor is non-existent. When something doesn’t go to plan, who do you speak with? I called the general line on the invoice and website but it keeps getting answered by the same person – the extremely rude guy who slammed the phone on us. When I asked to speak to his supervisor, he refused to divulge any information, only saying that “his boss doesn’t go to the office and cannot be contacted”.

3. Start and end dates. Your contractor can drag your project on as long as it takes. He stubbornly refused to commit to a time and date and when he finally does, his passport “conveniently” gets stolen the night before and he can’t return to Singapore.

Get your sliding shower screen somewhere else….This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

 

Aire Control, Singapore…this AC is more like Absolute Cons rather than air con.

Customer care at AireControl is very much non-existent. These people do not behave professionally at all…very disappointing service. They were ok at the start, but once your money is in their pockets, then the true colours are revealed.

When the aircon started leaking less than a week after their serviceman did the job, you don’t get a response from them anymore. My wife spoke with the supervisor, Peter and he irresponsibly refused to take accountability. She left her number for the manager, Jack and he never call back. After a day, I decided to call and ask again and only after two increasingly frustrating calls, did Jack finally called back. Immediately, without trying to problem-solve, he said he would refund the money and “wash his hands”.

So much for a company that claims to be  “an established company that specializes in the field of air conditioning work”on their website. Apparently, in 2007, AireControl has been accredited the TrustSG Seal (For both Business Trust & Consumer Trust). Humbug!

This is the true truth and I say it as it is…