Man mistakenly listed as Clementi MRT’s Google owner, receives 1-star reviews on station's behalf

A man was apparently listed as the owner of Clementi MRT station on Google by mistake.

Eric Koh, a local entrepreneur who works at fintech company Tradesocio, has inadvertently been receiving reviews and feedback meant for the transport station for years.

Koh told Lianhe Zaobao he was initially baffled by the unwarranted listing that made him appear as the station’s manager on Google.

Initially, he did not think much of it, as he had applied to manage Google Business profiles for some companies before.

But upon opening the email notification, he realised the negative review was not directed at his firm, but at Clementi MRT station instead.

Accidental click

Speaking to Mothership, Koh said that he has been "managing" the business profile since a few years ago.

While he's not sure how it happened, he suspects that he may have accidentally clicked on the “Claim this business” option on Google.

Ever since, he's been receiving these Google business ratings and feedback, including a recent one-star review.

Still receiving MRT-related alerts

Koh revealed that the email address linked to Clementi MRT station on the Google Business Profile page is not one he frequently uses, so he rarely checks it.

He continues to receive alerts whenever users leave ratings or feedback, though most are just star ratings without comments.

Where there are written complaints, they are usually about issues such as MRT toilet conditions or train breakdowns.

Koh told Mothership that he mostly ignores the notifications.

He has not contacted Google or SMRT to resolve the issue, and does not intend to either.

Real-life Monopoly

In response, some netizens jokingly asked him to fix the MRT facilities, and compared the mix-up to real-life Monopoly.

One person quipped: "It [would] be more funny if your name was Clement Tee."