Shops in Petaling Street are known for their cheap prices, but a Malaysian student was forced to fork out RM1575 for only a screen protector. Yes, not an entire phone but just a piece of plastic that laminates and protects the screen, and here’s what happened.
The student, Ching was recently at a mall in Petaling Street where she was approached by a promoter who persuaded her to buy a screen protector and a phone cover for only RM25. Ching agreed to it as her phone needed a new screen protector, but the initial price escalated quickly, and it was not just RM1575.
The promoter suddenly asked for Ching’s IC, which baffled her.
“He said he needed to register the insurance for the screen protector with my IC, and that I can claim from the insurance if my screen protector gets damaged,” Ching said.
Thinking that the insurance was similar to a warranty, Ching agreed after making sure that NO EXTRA CHARGES would be imposed. When the process was settled, the promoter clicked on the calculator and showed her the price – RM2124!
RM2099 for the insurance, and RM25 for the phone cover + screen protector.
Shocked and confused, Ching asked further for clarification, which the promoter constantly said,
“I thought you knew about the RM2099 insurance. Now that it’s registered, we can’t cancel it.”
A student’s life, without THAT much money
As a student who is still depending on allowance, Ching said that during the time, she only had RM1,700 in her account, which she told the promoter. The transaction did not stop there as the promoter “tried his best” to find a common ground with Ching.
Ching admitted that she was naive to think that the promoter was helping her out of kindness, and eventually, she paid RM1575 for 1 screen protector. The remaining balance in her bank account was for her survival as a student. It was after she went home that she realised, there was no receipt given for the transaction.
“They only accepted cash. I have no evidence of purchase.”
Ching decided to lodge a police report following the suggestion from netizens, as well as victims of a similar case at the same place.
“Give me back my money”
Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Ching said that she reached out to DAP in Bukit Bintang, who suggested she lodge a police report at the Dang Wangi police station. After some hassle, Ching said that she has finally retrieved her RM1575 last night (March 1).
“DAP Bukit Bintang said that I was not the first victim, as there were many similar cases, but they couldn’t help as the information was not enough.”
Ching also urged other victims to lodge a report immediately. You can read the post in the Facebook group KL吹水站.
Have you heard of such insurance for a screen protector? If you’re one of the victims, do reach out to the authority!
This post first appeared on WORLD OF BUZZ.
