After two months of delays and frustration with troubled car dealer Royal Automotive, Ms Jenny Tay was promised a refund of more than $47,000.

But to her dismay, the cheque bounced when she tried to deposit it on Monday.

Despite several calls and messages, she could not reach the boss of Royal Automotive.

To make matters worse, Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao reported yesterday that the lease of Royal Automotive’s Woodlands showroom will end this month.

When contacted by The New Paper yesterday, director of Royal Automotive, Mr Syed Khairil, 27, admitted it was facing cashflow issues, but insisted it was still in operation and was looking for a new location for its showroom.

WORKING CLOSELY

On the issue of the bounced cheque, he said it is working closely with the affected customer to resolve her issue as soon as it can.

Royal Automotive’s financial problems comeeven as its former employee, Chua Peng Jun, was charged in court today with criminal breach of trust. (See report, above.)

TNP understands that at least 20 victims have made police reports against Royal Automotive.

Similarly, the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) has received 20 complaints about the car dealer since July.

Executive director of Case, Mr Seah Seng Choon, said the number of complaints against parallel importers is not large, but it has seen more complaints recently. (See report on right.)

Last week, Case told The Straits Times that it was considering whether it should flag Royal Automotive because of the number of complaints.

Mr Syed said he will be meeting over 40 customers this week to explain the situation to them.

He said: “We will try our best to help affected parties with the delivery of their cars, but we must operate in line with our legal obligations.

“We continue to be contactable at our office or through Facebook.”

According to checks with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra), Royal Automotive was registered last November.

Two affected customers approached by TNP said they were attracted to Royal Automotive because of its lower prices, which are about $10,000 below the market rate.

HONDA VEZEL

Ms Tay, who declined to reveal her occupation, had booked a Honda Vezel in May.

She was supposed to get the car by the end of August after trading in her old car.

She said: “I was initially sceptical so I asked them to show me their other invoices. They had proof that they were able to deliver the cars.

“It is a lesson learnt. I will make sure that the car is in the showroom before putting down any money.”

A customer, who wanted to be known only as Melvin, 40, also admitted that he should have done more research.

He scrapped his old car in anticipation of a new Honda Vezel by mid-October.

He said: “I work in sales so I really need a car. But I already paid a deposit of $20,000 and I have no choice but to hope for the best.”

We will try our best to help affected parties with the delivery of their cars, but we must operate in line with our legal obligations.

– Director of Royal Automotive, Mr Syed Khairil

After two months of delays and frustration with troubled car dealer Royal Automotive, Ms Jenny Tay was promised a refund of more than $47,000.

But to her dismay, the cheque bounced when she tried to deposit it on Monday.

Despite several calls and messages, she could not reach the boss of Royal Automotive.

To make matters worse, Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao reported yesterday that the lease of Royal Automotive’s Woodlands showroom will end this month.

When contacted by The New Paper yesterday, director of Royal Automotive, Mr Syed Khairil, 27, admitted it was facing cashflow issues, but insisted it was still in operation and was looking for a new location for its showroom.

WORKING CLOSELY

On the issue of the bounced cheque, he said it is working closely with the affected customer to resolve her issue as soon as it can.

Royal Automotive’s financial problems comeeven as its former employee, Chua Peng Jun, was charged in court today with criminal breach of trust. (See report, above.)

TNP understands that at least 20 victims have made police reports against Royal Automotive.

Similarly, the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) has received 20 complaints about the car dealer since July.

Executive director of Case, Mr Seah Seng Choon, said the number of complaints against parallel importers is not large, but it has seen more complaints recently. (See report on right.)

Last week, Case told The Straits Times that it was considering whether it should flag Royal Automotive because of the number of complaints.

Mr Syed said he will be meeting over 40 customers this week to explain the situation to them.

He said: “We will try our best to help affected parties with the delivery of their cars, but we must operate in line with our legal obligations.

“We continue to be contactable at our office or through Facebook.”

According to checks with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra), Royal Automotive was registered last November.

Two affected customers approached by TNP said they were attracted to Royal Automotive because of its lower prices, which are about $10,000 below the market rate.

HONDA VEZEL

Ms Tay, who declined to reveal her occupation, had booked a Honda Vezel in May.

She was supposed to get the car by the end of August after trading in her old car.

She said: “I was initially sceptical so I asked them to show me their other invoices. They had proof that they were able to deliver the cars.

“It is a lesson learnt. I will make sure that the car is in the showroom before putting down any money.”

A customer, who wanted to be known only as Melvin, 40, also admitted that he should have done more research.

He scrapped his old car in anticipation of a new Honda Vezel by mid-October.

He said: “I work in sales so I really need a car. But I already paid a deposit of $20,000 and I have no choice but to hope for the best.”

We will try our best to help affected parties with the delivery of their cars, but we must operate in line with our legal obligations.

– Director of Royal Automotive, Mr Syed Khairil

Anime Festival Asia (AFA), the region’s largest and most followed Japanese popular culture and anime festival, is set to return to Suntec City Convention Centre from Nov 25 to 27.

Apart from the celebrity cosplayers, featured anime and special showcases, the highlight of the three-day anime extravaganza has to be the I Love Anisong concerts that boasts a star-studded line-up of Anisong legends as well as up-and-coming artistes.

I Love Anisong concert artiste line-up includes Kotoko, Home Made Kazoku, Wake Up Girls!, Minori Chihara, and much more. For the full line-up, go to http://animefestival.asia/afasg16/.

We have three pairs of tickets (Exhibition + Day Stage + General Admission Concert Access to the Nov 25 I Love Anisong concert) to give away, courtesy of Asia PR Werkz.

To win, answer the question below.

Contest closes Nov 21, 11.59pm.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM opens in 1926 as Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures.

Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident…were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob (Dan Fogler), a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt’s fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

Directed by David Yates, the movie opens here Nov 17, and also stars Colin Farrell, Katherine Waterston, and Ezra Miller.  

We have five sets of FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM​ movie hampers to give away, courtesy of Warner Bros.

Each set includes a car decal, a journal, a lapel pin and a canvas tote bag.

• Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them [International Final Trailer in HD (1080p)]

To win, answer the question below.

Contest closes Nov 30, 11.59pm

SINGAPORE: Two agreements have been signed between Singapore and Luxembourg on Tuesday (Nov 15) to deepen partnerships in areas of research and development. These will pave the way for millions of dollars in funding for joint projects.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel witnessed the signing of the agreements during his two-day working visit to Singapore.

This morning, Mr Bettel toured the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s (A*STAR) premises in one-north and was briefed on projects that the agency had worked on.

It was also where he witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) Centre for 3D Printing and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology.

The centre expects S$10 million to S$20 million to be invested in cooperative ventures which will broaden the scope of its work, which is currently focused on metals and ceramics. With the funding, researchers can work on applying 3D printing to composite materials, which have a wide variety of industrial applications.

The other agreement signed was between the Luxembourg National Research Fund and the National Research Foundation (NRF), witnessed by Mr Bettel and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

(Photo: Mr Bettel’s Twitter page) 

It will foster science and innovative collaborations. The first call for potential projects to be funded is set for the first half of 2017. Up to S$1.25 million will be set aside for each project, with up to three projects supported for each call.

The projects will run for three years.

A key criteria for selection is to have a high degree of cooperation and collaboration between the research teams of both countries in planning, developing and executing the project.

“They can collaborate to develop new technologies relevant to the needs of both countries,” said Professor Low Teck Seng, NRF’s chief executive officer. “NRF is confident that our continued efforts to strengthen collaborations with top researchers overseas will contribute significantly to building Singapore’s technological capabilities and creating value for our economy and society.”

LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY: LUXEMBOURG PM

Mr Bettel also delivered a lecture on the digital age and its impact on political leadership at the Singapore Management University.

(Photo: Mr Bettel’s Twitter page) 

He said it was crucial for governments to leverage technology in connecting with citizens: “Luxembourg, similar to Singapore in Asia is emerging as a digital hub in Europe. It’s small, agile enough to perceive change and to react quickly. Where others think, analyse, analyse and think and analyse and think and do study and counter-study, we decide. That makes the difference.”

At the Istana in the evening, Mr Bettel was hosted to dinner by Mr Lee.

Both leaders reaffirmed the warm bilateral relations as well as discussed regional and international developments.