Renovation nightmare: Woman calls police after contractor doesn't turn up on auspicious date

For some people, good feng shui is important when doing up their homes. They believe that it invites positive energy into the space. 

One woman surnamed Zhang chose an auspicious date for her kitchen revamp but flipped when her contractor allegedly cancelled on her the night before renovations were due to start on Oct 7. 

The 36-year-old woman told Shin Min Daily News she wanted to renovate the kitchen of her five-room Woodlands flat after the floor tiles cracked in June. She decided to engage the services of a company as she liked the boss' attitude. 

After weeks of discussions, she allegedly agreed to have her entire kitchen renovated for $14,775. 

But problems started emerging after Zhang signed the contract last month.

"The boss told me that he was busy, so he handed the project over to a young employee," shared Zhang. 

According to her, the staff's inexperience showed when she raised questions about the renovation.

Zhang had queries about a difference in materials used to build the new cabinets, as well as potential issues with the use of formaldehyde which could cause eye, nose and throat irritation. 

The other party did not give her an answer or provide her with samples, she claimed.

Auspicious date gone bad 

Despite the above-mentioned issues, Zhang looked into feng shui and picked Oct 7 for the renovations to begin.

The construction materials were also ready in her home. 

The night before renovations were to start, however, the contractor allegedly sent her a message and said they couldn't proceed. 

"He said they couldn't start work the next day because they did not know which material was to be used for the cabinets," she elaborated. 

In an attempt to understand the last-minute change in plans, Zhang said she went down to the contractor's company the next day to try and speak with someone.

However, she claimed she was turned away by the employees and she was unable to contact the boss. 

Furious, the woman decided to make a police report. 

Fussy client? 

Huang, the boss of the company, told the Chinese daily his staff had reminded Zhang that they could not start on the project without any finalisation for the cabinet material. If this happened, there would be delays, they warned her.

According to him, Zhang only asked about the different materials on Oct 5.

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The company also tried to get the client to look at material samples in their office and confirm which one should be used but she did not show up. 

Apart from the issue, Huang said that Zhang wasn't the easiest customer to work with and even called her "picky". 

"Whenever she encountered a problem, she would call me. This affected my work," he said. 

He also pointed out that his employee had patiently gone through the process with Zhang, drawing her 3D designs and accompanying her to choose materials.

As of now, both parties are deciding on the next steps they should take. 

"In our chat group, the customer said she wishes to cancel the renovation," Huang told the Chinese daily. 

This, however, comes with its own issues as the contract stipulates that no refunds will be issued if there are cancellations. 

"We have done so much already. At most, what we can do is help her buy some materials so she can get another contractor to help her," said Huang. 

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melissateo@asiaone.com