Retailers roll out extra measures as "lemon law" kicks in

SINGAPORE: Since the "lemon law" came into effect on September 1, some retailers have rolled out extra measures to encourage customers to carry out thorough checks on their products at the point of purchase.

The new consumer protection law protects consumers from retailers who sell defective goods. Customers will now have up to six months to take action on any defective product, or so—called ’lemons’.

Some retailers Channel NewsAsia spoke with felt that a six month period was not practical for certain types of products, like lingerie for example. They are also worried that the new law may lead some customers to make unreasonable refunds, which would result in higher costs for them.

To minimise this, some retailers are reminding customers to check their products at the point of purchase.

One second—hand car dealer has drawn up a detailed check list for customers, which lists 54 parts of a car for them to check before buying the vehicle.

Still, some retailers said that the public may not fully understand the ’lemon law’, or may try to abuse it.

Neo Tiam Ting, president of the Singapore Vehicle Traders Association, said: "Customers have a misunderstanding about the ’lemon law’. They think the lemon law equals to a warranty period. But what the ’lemon law’ is about is that at the point of purchase, if the car has no defect, then it is not covered under the ’lemon law’."

—CNA/ac