Singaporean Couple Got Cheated in JB Durian Feast

Singaporean Couple Got Cheated in JB Durian Feast

I know its the World Cup 2010 month but we definitely need to eat and sometimes crave for our favorite food right ? Last week, a Singaporean couple saw an advertisement for a "durian feast" in Johor Bahru ended up did not get what they were promised when they drove all the way there.


The ad ran in the June 12 edition of The Straits Times was placed by S'Mart whicha wholesale market located about 8km from the Woodlands Checkpoint. Customers would get a free durian sampling before buying, and if they spent at least RM20 on durians would get 1kg of mangosteens or rambutans free was a gimmick.

Special education teacher Fiona Goh, 25, decided to drive there from her home in Jalan Besar last Monday night with her boyfriend Desmond Lim, 32, also a special education teacher.


Instead of the free sampling they were promised, the couple were made to buy the first durians they tried. "The seller opened the durians for us and told us to sit down. After that, he said that since the durians had been opened, we would have to buy them," said Goh.


They paid RM33 for two durians, in return the seller then handed them a quarter of a watermelon, wrapped in clingwrap, instead of the mangosteens and rambutans promised. The watermelon, the couple claimed, turned out to be rotten.

When The Straits Times contacted the wholesale market's marketing manager, Kerlyn Lim, she said it was the first time she had received such negative feedback. The market has been advertising this "durian feast" in The Straits Times for the past three to four years, and response from Singaporeans has been "very good", she said.


She put the problem down to new vendors who have joined the promotion. This year, six durian vendors took part, compared to three last year. "Some of them are new so they don't know the rules and don't follow them."