Hoping to find a solution for his injuries, a man visited a wellness centre — only to be afflicted with more problems. The man surnamed Lin was passing by Block 333 Kreta Ayer Road about two weeks ago, when he chanced upon the Chinatown wellness centre, reported Shin Min Daily News.
He had bandages on his left knee and ankle then.
Seeing that he had a “kind face”, the boss of the shop invited him in, offering to treat his injuries.
“I had some issues with my left knee and ankle then. I previously visited two Traditional Chinese Medicine clinics but nothing was working. So I went in half-heartedly,” said the 20-year-old.
Upon entering the clinic, Lin said that the boss did tui na and mole removal on him.
“He kept talking about the ‘five elements’ and wanting to help me. I had some doubts but I felt bad about refusing him, so I just let him [perform] the procedures on me.”
Although the boss was very polite, Lin felt that he was rather pushy, which made it difficult to decline his offers.
At the end of the session, the boss also asked Lin to purchase some pills for more than $100, claiming that they could not be found elsewhere.
“He said that he had ‘fate’ with me, so he lowered the price of the pills to $70.”
Lin ended up forking out $220 for that session.
Man’s mother also ‘duped’
Lin told his mother about what happened to him, and the pair went back to the shop last Saturday (March 11) intending to confront the boss.
But they ended up parting with more money instead.
“The boss asked if my son had finished taking his pills and pushed him to buy 14 more. Before I could react, he’d already paid $280,” Lin’s mother, Huang, told Shin Min.
The man continued telling Lin’s mother that the cause of her son’s leg injury was due to ‘bad luck’.
He even told the 46-year-old housewife that the area between her eyebrows was ‘blackened’ and wanted to lighten them for her.
“I don’t know what happened. It was difficult trying to interrupt or stop him, so I didn’t refuse,” said Huang, who paid $160 for her treatment.
Lin and Huang have since made a police report and have gone to the Small Claims Tribunals in the hope of getting their money back.
Wellness centre boss refutes claims
When Shin Min visited the wellness centre, the boss maintained that he did not force anyone to accept his services, saying that they were willing parties.
“I have been running my shop for a few decades, and I have plenty of regular customers. I haven’t had any issues so far.”
He also said that he did not prescribe pills to anyone, and does not offer any religious services.
“You need to be honest when running a business. I always tell my customers about the price before doing anything.”
