Shoplah.com customer review (Scam and con-artist)

My Background with online sites:

I am a fan of online shopping. It is convenient, effortless and manytimes, value for money. My experience at several U.S. websites has been pleasant and no real surprises. I buy what I see and read and get the items as expected with slight occasional delays. I am aware that there are many scammers out there but I have yet to deal with one.

Well, my sister lives in Japan and bought me really nice clothing at very cool prices during their summer sale. So I started checking online and for the first time in my life, I decided to try a Singapore online shopping website that retails/wholesale Korean and Jap and HK fashion. I am Singaporean myself and I thought this is a very law abiding country and generally, many people are to a large degree, decent and honest here.

BAD Experience with Shoplah.com

I found this website--www.Shoplah.com and saw lots of really pretty Jap-style and Korean style like clothing at summer sale prices. The quality seemed like the average Jap /Korean/HK fashion you get if you shop at in the malls in those countries. Normally, clothes these standard retail at the malls for $50-60 and go on sale at 50% off. So it seems Shoplah sells these clothes at 50% off retail malls. For online stores, there is no retail rental costs, no display costs and lower inventory costs so savings can be passed on to consumers.

I went to several other sites and saw similar items as well. I choose Shoplah because the search engine was quite fast and user friendly. I went to the facebook site and the only complaints I saw was slow delivery. So I decided to give it a go. I emailed an enquiry on the products I wanted. I receive a timely reply stating what I wanted was in stock. To receive my goods, I have to make bank transfer payment in full.

The six items in total costs $125.

An email came six working days later stating 2 items were out of stock and 4 was already shipped to me. So I made a replacement order for two items, because if I got a refund for the remaining two, I would loose the original discount based on 6 items even though it was Shoplah that went out of stock at the last minute.

When the package arrived and I opened and saw the clothing, I was quite appalled. 2 out of the 4 items were seriously low quality --(factory reject standard). One had buttons falling out, and loose thread coming out from every seam. The other had one shoulder 1cm larger than the other side and uneven armholes. The remaining two were not defective but they were a far cry from the pictures advertised in the website. The fabric and tailoring and quality was way low. The night markets clothing store in South east Asian countries carry better quality stuff at better prices...

WHAT I FOUND OUT ABOUT SHOPLAH:

I decided I should google this website and found a proliferation of complaints and bloggers describing their horrible experience with Shoplah.com. It seems this website had the following problems:

1) Deceptive advertising (real goods are way below what is being shown and described)

2) Very unresponsive and oftentimes, rude customer service

3) Horrible exchange policies, untimely delivery and poor order fulfillment.

4) In some reported cases, vindictive behavior towards customer's goods (damaging and tearing goods) if customer complained and push for timely delivery.

5) It is a one-man type operation and not a registered company. (Consumers will not get the protection of Consumer Association of Singapore).

When I emailed Shoplah to request for exchange/refund for my faulty item, I had to bear the cost of postage to return the faulty item. I decided it was not worth the $$ and hassle when I saw their email response below.

we are unable to provide a refund, please refer to our policies.

We can replace Y8248 for a new piece but it will most likely be the same
since it's by the same manufacturer.

In not so many words, I was told not to bother because that is the general standard of their stuff. I posted this comment on their Facebook discussion wall. Rather quickly, someone else from China posted as well stating she received a faulty item as well. We were both told that every customer had different expectations and it was us with the wrong expectations. We were told to take pictures of the faulty item and email back. I did and told them if the exchange for another piece of similar defect is not acceptable and I do not want the hassle unless they can guarantee the defect does not exists in the exchange item. I got no reply whatsoever and I was blocked from ever posting another discussion message. All my discussion messages were deleted as well. Very shifty and shady behavior from Shoplah.com. They do not want other new customers seeing all the problems and low standards they have.

Remember, this Shoplah.com is not a registered company but a one man-shop operation and it is out of the jurisdiction of Consumer Association of Singapore. You will be better served at the hawker centre than at this website.

It seems Shoplah has failed to fully fulfill orders for many customers. E.g. Many ordered 10 items but got 7. When customer complaints via email and SMS, he writes nasty replies and insists all were mailed out and the customer was lying etc...

Some foreigners got even more scammed but being foreigners, there is nothing they can do unless they come to Singapore to file a suit.

HOW SHOPLAH GETS AWAY WITH BAD BUSINESS PRACTICE:

This SHoplah.com (owner Reeve Kor) is rather smart. His order fulfillment is usually above 70% and he short-changes many of his customers by $40-50. To sue him at small claims court is useless because he won't show up. You have to pay $20 to file a claim. Even if the court rules in the customer's favor, they will not see their money back unless they pay the court baliff $300 to go to SHoplah.com - Reeve's HDB flat (apartment where he operates) to collect. So this avenue of recourse for those cheated by under $300 is a waste of resources.

The only avenue opened to Singaporeans cheated by Shoplah.com (if they do not receive full order fulfillment despite full payment) is the police report. Apparently a police report was filed 1 years ago and this website is still operating. The police file number is J20080604/2214. I am not surprised that the police force do not think this is a serious crime and thus put the case on the back shelf. I mean several police reports (very likely not consolidated) about being cheated of $20-$70 on average by some inconspicous website is not worth their time. The Singapore police after all could loose a international terrorist in the detention centre....how are they expected to solve a business crime so insidious which require business brains, some vision of the big picture etc.. To investigate and validate if customers(victims of) Shoplah is truly scammed, the police will have to review Shoplah's operating accounts and orders and payments etc...I don't think the Singapore police is so clever....But if they are remotely hardworking, it will take the police another 5 years before Shoplah can get officially exposed and dealt with.

I think at least 200 people (local and overseas) were conned and shortchanged at Shoplah.

Do the Math. If SHoplah shortchanges 200 customers by $50 over two years, the owner pocketed SG$10,000 into his pocket doing absolutely nothing but getting rich and making people disappointed and angry. The internet has 500Million users and consumers worldwide and is growing every minute. I am not surprised if he finds another 500 new victims in the next six months. $50 bucks from each of the 500 would make Shoplah.com $25,000 richer for not fulfilling orders properly, sending out crappy stuff and making people pissed. There is a community against SHoplah with 300 members on Facebook. Most people just writes blogs about this bad shopping site and move on....

The internet is a rich and interesting world but crooks, con-artists and scammers thrive as well.

I should have done my homework properly, I was too presumptious and I thought better of Singapore as a business hub but I guess in many ways, it still has a long way to go. I will stick to websites with good reputation at the U.S. Unless, it is cash on delivery by a local Singapore shopping website, I will not venture in by blind faith anymore. I think this SHoplah is a general disservice to other credible Singapore shopping websites. It is a disgrace to the online shopping community of honest operators. Shop with caution and google for customer reviews of whatever online shopping site you intend to buy from....Better the trouble to be safe than sorry.