The latest influencer drama involves an influencer who took money and products from a local jewellery brand without delivering the promised work:

Elaine Heng, also known as Elaine Jasmine to her followers, has since refunded the business owner the money, along with an additional S$100 for the products she broke while in her possession.

However, on the same night of the refund, Heng did an Instagram live explaining her side of the story, and threw in a few apologies for not refunding the money on time.

Apology on Instagram post

Now, it seems that she has made a u-turn of sorts, judging by the apologetic post (as opposed to a defensive one) on her Instagram page:

View this post on Instagram

By now, many of you would have heard of the latest ‘Elaine Jasmine Saga’. A jewellery business owner posted an expose about me and the unfortunate encounter we had while working together a few weeks ago. - To be honest, I initially refrained from commenting on the issue because I felt it was unnecessary as I always believed that issues can be solved by communicating directly with the other party, instead of taking the matter publicly online- it wouldn’t reflect well on either side. - However, the matter quickly blew up as the owner’s post soon started spreading. Aside from the post, other brand owners added comments and screenshots which showed other instances of when I displayed similar behaviour. - I don’t deny many of the alleged accusations. Yes, some were taken out of context and dramatised to put me in negative light, but some parts of it were true. This is something I admit and I am truly sorry. As such, I would like to take the initiative to formally apologise: - Firstly, I acknowledge having a busy schedule on my part, does not warrant a delay in payments. For this, I apologise and will focus on improving my work ethic. - Secondly, I should have handled conflict with a better attitude. I was angry and hurt but I should not have responded in such a spiteful manner. In future, I will be more mindful of how I treat others. - I am truly sorry for my unprofessional behaviour and the unhappiness I have caused. It was never my intention to do so and it hurts me so much to see so much negativity created because of my mistake, even if most of the instances mentioned took place years ago when I was more naive and immature. - Thank you to those of you who have stood by me to encourage and advise me during this period, as well as friends/clients who have expressed their concern and continued faith in me despite everything. - Moving forward I hope to grow as a person and learn from this encounter. I will do my utmost best to prevent such issues from arising again. - Love, Elaine Jasmine

A post shared by Elaine Rui Min 瑞敏 (@elaineruimin) on Apr 15, 2018 at 6:57pm PDT

The post was uploaded on April 16 (one day after her Instagram live) and mostly addressed her work ethic and unprofessionalism.

In case the post gets deleted:

[related_story]

Apology not convincing

Unfortunately, some of the audience aren't buying the apology.

In fact, one of the comments that specifically explained how Heng's "apology" really wasn't very apologetic at all gathered 630 likes:

Indeed, this user pointed out that Heng continued to give excuses, such as how the business owners dramatised the situation.

Upon closer examination, one would find the apology full of such excuses: "I was angry and hurt but"; " It was never my intention to do so"; "most of the instances mentioned took place years ago when I was more naive and immature".

The same commenter also said that the influencer's use of "alleged accusations" was erroneous as the accusations were backed with evidence (e.g. WhatsApp screenshots).

Actions do not match up with words

Another Instagram user observes how Heng's actions are not consistent with what she says:

The replies to this comment also asks: If the products sent were unsatisfactory in the first place, why would Heng not reject them immediately, but instead, repeatedly delayed the advertisement?

At one point, there was also a string of "lol"s from readers, perhaps as a reference to Heng's own unprofessional reply in the course of her own conversation with Trixie Khong, the business owner who wrote the exposé.

Another gave her pretty good PR advice:

Supportive followers

However, there were also followers who spoke up for Heng, including influencer Melody Yap (also known as food blogger LadyIronChef's wife):

Another supporter felt that Heng was "genuinely sorry" and advised her to hire an assistant if she is really too busy:

While another follower calls her "genuine" and "the real deal":

Neutral follower

A neutral follower wrote about her negative experience with Khong in public:

Ah well.

Top image from Elaine Heng's Instagram