Same old, same old

The Star, Malaysia
A strongly worded commentary piece from a Malaysian newspaper. sgwatchDOG agrees with one of the points made in the article.

Ultimately it has to come from within.

CAD investigates LePrime School of Technical and Fundamental

CAD FAQ page
sgwatchDOG just spotted this FAQ page on the CAD website. CAD does not clarify what it is investigating LePrime for, but the following from the LePrime website provides a few hints

LePrime primary business direction is conducting courses on the understanding of financial tools and the use of them. In addition to our primary business, LePrime also provides consultancy services with regards to specific financial / economic markets.

It is possible that CAD is investigating for inproper practice regarding financial/investment products. Buyer Beware...

Woman pays $2,600 for 'upgraded' PSP

The New Paper
Another sad story of a consumer being cheated. sgwatchDOG sometimes wonder if these incidents can ever be prevented. Do consumers need to "get bitten" before they wise up?

Anyway, in this case, sgwatchDOG believes the consumer can still pursue this dispute via the Small Claims Tribunals, citing the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act. In particular, the consumer can mention that she is a victim of an unfair practice, specifically the following (No. 1 of 20 specific unfair practices)

1. Representing that goods or services have sponsorship, approval, performance characteristics, accessories, ingredients, components, qualities, uses or benefits that they do not have.

8. Charging a price for goods or services that is substantially higher than an estimate provided to the consumer, except where the consumer has expressly agreed to the higher price in advance.