The Yio Chu Kang bungalow at the centre of a cheating case will be torn down and replaced by a suite of new houses in the next few years.

The property, located at 2F Gerald Crescent, used to belong to the late Chung Khin Chun, a widower who was cheated of S$1.1 million in assets by her former tour guide, Yang Yin.

In June 2025, the 31,882 square feet site was sold for S$22 million to local developer Teambuild Properties.

With a 999-year lease that began in 1879, it still has about 852 years left on its lease.

The new homes to be built on the land will have a mix of eight or nine detached and semi-detached houses, with indicative prices starting at S$7 million each, The Business Times (BT) reported.

The story behind the property

Chung first met the Yang during a trip to China in 2008.

A year later, Yang moved into her Yio Chu Kang bungalow, then brought his wife and two children to live there too in 2011.

Based on a will Chung wrote in 2010, she named him the sole beneficiary of all her assets, estimated at around S$40 million. She also gave him lasting power of attorney to manage her welfare and financial affairs.

However, in 2016, Yang was convicted of misappropriating S$1.1 million of her assets, and sentenced to a total of 11 years and two months' jail.

On Oct. 25, 2025, Chung passed away at the age of 98.

The bungalow, which also has a private garden and swimming pool, was initially listed for S$35 million in 2018, before the price was lowered to S$25 million in 2021 due to a lack of interest.

The final sale price of S$22 million thus came in well below the family’s earlier expectations.

New design

Kapa Design Co, a design and build firm, was appointed by Teambuild Properties to manage the project, BT reported.

The company's CEO told BT, "When we first looked at the site, we explored standard cluster housing layouts. But we quickly realised this unique plot of land deserved something far more thoughtful".

The plan is to divide the large site into three sections based on different nature-inspired styles: Cloud, Mist, and Forest.

Some design highlights include valley-like slopes, green terraces, cross-ventilation across the homes, and rooftop solar panels.

The project is awaiting approval by the authorities. Once it is approved, it will be launched in phases from the second quarter of 2027.

The Kapa CEO targets to have the project completed around the end of 2029.

Some employees of a beauty and wellness chain in Singapore, DNA Brands Co Pte Ltd, were found to have used high-pressure sales tactics to induce customers into making purchases they did not intend to make.

Following investigations, the chain has agreed to provide up to S$1 million in refunds to affected consumers, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) said on Jul. 30.

DNA Brands operates beauty and wellness outlets across Singapore under the brand names The Mineral Boutique, Beautique, SAE-REN, Jingran, Harmonix, Allura and Comfeet.

"Coordinated set of pressure tactics"

According to CCS, investigations found that since 2023, an area manager and several staff members had been using a "coordinated set of pressure tactics" to induce consumers into making purchases they had no intention of making.

The tactics were "deliberate" and "calculated", CCS said.

For instance, staff would apply facial masks on consumers even after their treatments had ended, in an effort to keep them "trapped" in treatment rooms while sales pitches continued until they agreed to make purchases.

Staff would also ask consumers how many credit cards they had, ostensibly to check their eligibility for promotions.

In reality, they were assessing how much each consumer could spend, CCS said.

They would also check the CPF balances of elderly consumers, and would help them change their CPF withdrawal limits and direct them to nearby bank branches or ATMs to withdraw cash.

In at least one case, a consumer was pressured into using their CPF savings to pay for beauty packages and products.

CCS found that DNA Brands' directors did not personally direct or participate in these practices.

After investigations began, DNA Brands dismissed or suspended the staff involved and barred them from earning sales commissions.

The company also committed to ceasing unfair trade practices and putting in place stronger compliance measures, including formal disciplinary action against similar misconduct.

All DNA Brands-linked outlets will also prominently display a 14-day refund policy for customers going forward.

CCS said it will continue to monitor the matter and take further enforcement action if new complaints or unfair practices emerge.

CASE to administer refund scheme

Separately, DNA Brands will deposit up to S$1 million with an independent escrow agent to fund refunds for eligible consumers.

Consumers who purchased products or services from specified DNA Brands outlets from Jan. 1, 2023 onwards and experienced undue pressure or aggravating circumstances during their purchases may be eligible for a refund.

The amount refunded will vary depending on the individual circumstances of each case.

Those who believe they may have been affected can contact the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) to check their eligibility and submit a claim through these channels:

• Hotline: 6277 5100 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
• Online: https://complaints.case.org.sg

Alvin Koh, the chief executive of CCS, said consumers should never be made to feel "trapped" or "pressured" into spending money they did not intend to part with

"No one should ever feel that their retirement savings are at risk during a visit to a beauty salon," he added.

He said CCS does not intervene in every consumer dispute, and that cases involving wider consumer harm will be prioritised.

"Businesses must know that exploiting consumers through pressure tactics carries real consequences," he said.

A mobile phone caught fire on a bus, causing one person to sustain minor injuries.

The incident occurred on Jul. 27 at about 5pm at the bus stop facing Eu Tong Sen Street outside Clark Quay MRT station, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Was on bus

A member of the public told Shin Min that she saw a fire truck, a traffic police motorcycle, and a police car at the scene while on a bus passing by the bus stop.

However, he was unsure of what had happened.

Fire involved phone battery

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to a fire along Eu Tong Sen Street at about 4:55pm on Jul. 27.

The fire involved a mobile phone battery inside a bus.

The fire burnt itself out before SCDF's arrival.

One person was assessed for minor injuries but declined to be sent to the hospital.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

SBS Transit also said bus service 63 was travelling along Eu Tong Sen Street when a passenger's mobile phone suddenly caught fire.

The bus captain reportedly stopped the bus to handle the situation.

The fire was subsequently extinguished, and the captain apparently did not need to use the bus's fire extinguisher.

Emergency responders were contacted and arrived at the scene as a precautionary measure.

Affected passengers were subsequently arranged to be transfered to another bus to continue their journey.

A Malaysian man, 40, has been handed the murder charge for causing the death of his 18-month-old son in 2023.

The charge comes nearly three years after the infant was admitted to the emergency department by his father in the early morning of Sep. 13, 2023 with signs of abuse.

He died hours later, with police suspecting he had been sodomised before his death.

According to local media, initial samples collected as evidence proved insufficient to identify a suspect.

However, the latest investigations led to the baby's father and uncle's arrest, with the former found to be in possession of pornographic material.

New evidence also led to the case being reclassified as murder.

Initial signs of abuse

The infant's father, G Thevendhiran, brought his unconscious son to a hospital in Johor Bahru, Malaysia at about 1:18am on Sep. 13, 2023, reported The Star.

The victim later fell into a coma and died at 10:40am the same morning.

According to doctors, the death was caused by blunt force trauma to the abdomen.

The child was also found to have bruises on the waist, a bloated abdomen and swelling around the anus, leading to suspicions that he had been beaten and sodomised.

A police report was then lodged by a doctor in the hospital.

Insufficient evidence

The case was initially investigated as child neglect resulting in death, police said on Jul. 28.

13 individuals, including the victim's family members and babysitter, were interviewed and called in to assist with the investigation, according to New Straits Times.

However, the traces of fluid found around the baby's anus, believed to be semen, were deemed insufficient for analysis and comparison.

No suspect was arrested at the time, though police said investigations continued.

New evidence leading to arrest

Nearly three years later, further investigations led to the arrest of Thevendhiran, a customer service officer working in Singapore, as well as the infant's 35-year-old uncle on Jul. 18 and Jul. 22, respectively.

While the former had no prior criminal record, the latter was found to have 13 criminal and drug-related offences.

Police also confirmed he tested positive for cannabis in a urine screening test, though he has since been released and will be a prosecution witness.

Meanwhile, pornographic images and videos were discovered on Thevendhiran's phone.

According to the police, investigations pointed to the fact that he had sodomised his infant son.

Thevendhiran was identified as the primary suspect. In court, the prosecution alleged that he had killed his son sometime between 8:30am and 10am on Sep. 12, 2023 at a condominium in Johor, Malay Mail reported.

Thevendhiran was sentenced to a month's jail and a fine of RM3,000 (S$951) for the possession of obscene materials.

The sentencing for his murder charge was adjourned to a later date.

For murder, he could face the death penalty or a maximum of 40 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane.

A man in Singapore, who was caught on video kicking and assaulting a woman in Lucky Plaza, has been sentenced to three weeks in jail.

The 47-year-old pleaded guilty on Jul. 29 to two charges of voluntarily causing hurt to his then-girlfriend.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the man, who had been drinking at the time, had become angry after thinking the victim, 34, was contacting her ex-boyfriend.

A gag order has been placed on the identities of both the man and the victim to protect the victim.

Resentful

The court heard that the pair had been dating since July 2024 and had frequent arguments during their relationship, with police intervening multiple times.

On Feb. 8, 2026, the man met the victim at Lucky Plaza and learned that the biological father of the victim's 15-year-old son had resumed paying child support.

This reportedly made the man resentful because he had previously provided financial assistance to the victim and her family.

Drank a bottle of whiskey

The two then went to a bar on the sixth floor for drinks, where the man drank a bottle of whiskey alone.

During this time, a female friend of the victim arrived and hugged and kissed the woman, which he found offensive.

When the victim asked him to buy drinks for her friend, he refused.

The victim left the bar after sensing his agitated state, Shin Min reported.

Suspected victim was contacting ex-boyfriend

The man later went out to find the victim and spotted her texting on her phone.

Thinking she was contacting her ex-boyfriend, he apparently "lost control" and attacked her.

He tried to snatch her phone and handbag, cornered her, hugged her tightly from behind, and even tried to push her into the elevator.

During the struggle, the handbag strap broke.

The victim eventually broke free and fled into a nearby store for help, but the man chased after her into the store.

After the two left the store, the victim took off her high heels and ran away.

The man, however, continued to pursue her, threatening to beat her and "smash her face".

The struggle continued with the man punching and kicking her hard on the back of the head, causing both of them to fall to the ground.

After getting up, the man again attempted to kick the victim in the face, but she managed to dodge in time.

Video went viral

The incident attracted a large crowd, with some people throwing shopping baskets at the man to stop him, while others stepped forward.

Some also helped the victim up and escorted her out of the mall.

Videos of the incident later circulated widely on social media.

Two days after the incident, the man reportedly called the victim multiple times, urging her not to report the crime and offering compensation.

However, the victim eventually reported the crime on Feb. 11 and underwent a medical examination at the police's advice.

Doctors confirmed that the victim had bruises and scratches on her right shoulder, left shoulder, right thigh, and left calf, Shin Min reported.

Assaulted same woman previously

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said previously that their preliminary investigations revealed that the man had assaulted the same woman on Mar. 30, 2025.

SPF said they issued a 12-month conditional warning to the man on May 8, 2025, for voluntarily causing hurt in this incident.

This was done in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), police said.

However, as the man breached this conditional warning by allegedly committing additional offences against the same victim during the recent incident on Feb. 8, he was charged in court on Apr. 22, 2026, in relation to both incidents.

A netizen took to social media to complain about the presence of a group of NSmen on a public bus, but ended up getting slammed by other users instead.

The anonymous post, which was made on public Facebook group Complaint Singapore (Anonymous), featured a picture taken from within the bus of fellow passengers, including a number of uniformed NSmen.

The image was taken from the morning scene on board public bus route 192 near Jurong Camp, according to the caption.

"Pic doesn't do it justice," it wrote.

"Taking up our time boarding and alighting when Jurong Camp is so close by. Can't SAF do something to discourage this kind of disruptive behaviour??"

'Without them you don’t even have a country'

The comment section did not take to the complaint kindly, with most slamming the netizen for their lack of appreciation for NSmen.

"They are the citizens of Singapore and they serve the nation. If u not happy go take taxi," one wrote.

"Pls la. If without them u don’t even have a country, be it a bus," another said.

"So you are saying that our NSFs and NSmen should always route march to camp and back home instead of taking public transport?" 

Others also suggested the netizen walked to their destination instead.

"You should just walk. U are a pest to the environment."

"Not happy you can take a grab? Or you walk. Those boys are tired too."

A Michigan man shot and killed his wife and six children before setting their home on fire and turning the gun on himself, in what police have ruled a murder-suicide.

His wife had supposedly written online about her husband's alleged affair with a younger intern.

According to New York Post, Kristopher Karolkiewicz, 47, allegedly shot his wife Amanda "Mandy" Karolkiewicz, 39, and their six children, aged 5 to 15, at their Grand Haven Township home before setting it on fire.

The bodies were discovered at around noon on Friday when the home was found on fire.

The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office confirmed that autopsies determined all family members died of gunshot wounds, and that the husband took his own life.

Authorities also said multiple fires appeared to have been intentionally set throughout the house after the killings.

The family's pets also died.

Wife's alleged Reddit posts

Two years before her death, Mandy had allegedly written about her husband's infidelity in posts on Reddit under the username MandyK1179, according to local media Holland Sentinel, which independently confirmed the authenticity of the account.

In one 2024 post, she explained how she had originally met her husband while working as an intern, and alleged that history had since repeated itself.

She supposedly wrote: "He was divorced and older than me… fast forward ten years and five kids, he was cheating with the intern again — the same age I was when I was the intern."

She wrote about the emotional toll the alleged affair took on her, describing a year of self-loathing before she realised she had been the one suffering for what he had done.

She reportedly wrote that she only worked to repair the marriage because of the children they shared.

She allegedly wrote: "I kept telling myself, 'I love my kids more than I hate my husband right now.' They have no idea — I faked it 'till we made it. We're in a much better place 4.5 years out, but it's still a fight to stay in a healthy place."

In another post, she also wrote that the idea of leaving her husband was “insanely terrifying," according to the Holland Sentinel.

Family can't confirm authenticity of Reddit posts

The family's spokesperson, Emily Jones, told News8 that the family could not confirm the posts were written by Mandy.

She added:

"It's very clear that whoever wrote that, they were using Reddit as an outlet to seek support in a bit of anonymity, because for whatever reason, they felt they couldn't seek it in their real lives. I think that that's sad in and of itself, whether it was Mandy or somebody else."

Background

According to New York Post, the couple met at a beverage company in 2008 and married in August 2009, according to a parenting-focused blog Mandy had.

They had been together for nearly 17 years at the time of their deaths, and had six children together: three biological sons, two adopted daughters and another biological son.

A recent incident of a group of people foraging marine life from a Changi intertidal area has sparked discussion online and backlash in the nature community.

Large amounts of seafood such as clams and crabs were later allegedly prepared and cooked at restaurant at Chinatown, Havelock Palace.

The foraging incident has been described as deplorable by Pasir-Ris Changi Member of Parliament Valerie Lee, and the restaurant has also been flooded with one-star reviews on Google Maps.

Businesses to ensure food prepared is fit for consumption

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) clarified that there are no regulations prohibiting local food businesses from preparing wild-foraged seafood or other customer supplied ingredients.

However, under the Sale of Food Act and the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulation, food businesses must still ensure that the food prepared on their premises is fit for consumption.

They must also be handled under sanitary conditions.

Caution and due diligence must be exercised by such businesses that accept wild-foraged catch brought in by customers, in order to ensure that the ingredients do not pose any food safety risks.

SFA noted that wild marine life collected from public shores may carry much higher food safety risks.

This is because some marine organisms can accumulate bacteria, viruses, parasites, biotoxins and contaminants from surrounding waters, some of which may not be eliminated through cooking.

Bivalve molluscs in particular, readily accumulate bacteria, viruses and toxins in their bodies as they eat by taking in and filtering water.

As such, SFA advises against harvesting and consuming shellfish from the wild, which may contain biotoxins.

All imports of live oysters must also be from SFA-approved sources and accompanied with a health certificate, to ensure food safety, according to SFA's advisory.

Not illegal to forage

Karenne Tun, Group Director at the NParks National Biodiversity Centre, previously said in response to Mothership's queries that NParks is aware of a social media post on intertidal foraging and "seeks the understanding of the public to protect our intertidal biodiversity".

According to Tun, NParks restricts the collection of animals from intertidal zones under its jurisdiction.

These zones include Sisters' Islands Marine Park, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Labrador Nature Reserve's rocky shore and Chek Jawa Wetlands.

For intertidal areas outside its jurisdiction, Tun says it focuses on public education on best practices and how visitors can interact responsibly with marine wildlife.

Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and Minister for Law Edwin Tong both used the Legal Profession Symposium 2026 on Jul. 29 to call for collective action on the sustainability of Singapore's legal profession, with Menon describing it as a "rule of law concern" and Tong outlining plans to review legal education and launch a new AI council for the legal sector.

Menon: Five interconnected pressures

Speaking at the symposium, Menon outlined five interconnected pressures facing the profession and described three workstreams within the Future of the Legal Profession Committee (FLPC) to address them.

Menon said the sustainability of legal practice had been examined over several years through surveys, consultations and direct engagement with the profession, including the 2023 SAL Young Lawyers Survey and the more recent Anthro-LawSoc Legal Profession Sustainability Study.

He said: "Sustainability is not a single issue problem. It is the cumulative product of interconnected pressures across the legal ecosystem."

He identified five pressures deserving particular attention: the intensity of legal work, incentive structures, workplace culture, gaps in leadership and mentorship, and a generational divide within the profession.

The five pressures

On the intensity of legal work, Menon said earlier generations could only take home as much work as their briefcases could carry, while today, work follows lawyers everywhere and constant availability has become an expectation, largely because of technology.

On incentive structures, he questioned whether the billable hours model remains relevant in the age of AI, and whether young lawyers were being held to targets and business development expectations before they had adequate support or guidance.

On workplace culture, he was unequivocal: "Abusive emails, humiliation, and persistent disrespect towards colleagues have no place in our profession."

On mentorship, he noted that only about one in 10 respondents to the Young Lawyers Survey had participated in a structured mentorship programme, and said technical excellence as a lawyer does not automatically produce the ability to lead, supervise or develop people.

On the generational divide, he said the tensions between senior and junior lawyers should not be reduced to stereotypes: "If each generation reduces the other to stereotypes, one as unwilling to endure the demands of the craft, and the other as indifferent to the adverse cost of prevailing customs and practices, mutual misunderstanding will deepen disengagement."

Why this is a rule of law concern

Menon warned that these pressures could lead to chronic stress, burnout and anxiety, with consequences that extended beyond the individual.

He said: "A lawyer worn down for long enough, stops asking whether to change firms and starts asking whether to remain a lawyer at all."

He added that younger lawyers today had more options than previous generations: taking an in-house role, entering public service, going overseas or leaving the law altogether, making the opportunity cost of remaining in practice far more visible.

He added: "Sustainability is therefore not merely an employment or organisational concern. At its core, it is a rule of law concern. The justice system cannot remain strong if the profession on which it depends is unable to sustain meaningful careers."

Three workstreams described

Menon announced three workstreams under the FLPC, which is co-chaired by Justice of the Court of Appeal Hri Kumar Nair, Deputy Attorney-General Valerie Thean and Ministry of Law Permanent Secretary Luke Goh.

The first, a Business and Leadership Skills workstream, will build practical programmes and frameworks for supervision, communication and talent development.

The second is a Bridging Legal Education and Industry workstream, which will build a closer feedback loop between law schools, the Singapore Institute of Legal Education and the industry. This will be complemented by a Future Lawyers Network, giving law students earlier exposure to professional life.

The third is a Sustainability and Well-being workstream, which will rethink how legal work is structured, supervised and valued, and promote healthier workplace cultures through platforms such as the Lawyers Sustainability Alliance.

The judiciary must also play its part

Menon acknowledged that the Sustainability Study had raised concerns about some interactions between lawyers and the bench. While judicial officers must uphold exacting standards, he said they must always do so with courtesy.

He said: "Let me say without reservation that discourtesy or abusive conduct will not be tolerated."

Edwin Tong: Attrition figures stable, but quality of departure matters

In his closing address, Tong said attrition in the legal profession had remained broadly stable, with around 60 per cent of lawyers staying in practice after five years and 40 per cent after 10 years, between 2015 and 2024.

He also noted that in Singapore Academy of Law's (SAL) recent survey of newly qualified lawyers, about one in three expected to leave their current firm within the next three years.

However, of the 289 respondents working in law firms, only eight, or less than three per cent, said their sole intention was to leave the legal profession altogether.

He said: "The vast majority still want careers in the law. They simply see themselves contributing in different ways — as in-house counsel, academics, Government lawyers, or judges. I see that not as a loss, but as one of the profession's strengths."

But he said the key question was not whether lawyers were leaving, but why.

He said: "If talented lawyers are leaving because parts of legal practice have become unnecessarily unattractive or unsustainable, then we need to understand why, and do something about it."

Tong's three focus areas: Workforce, workplaces, work

Tong said he believed the focus should be on three areas.

On workforce, he said his ministry would undertake a broader review of legal education, and floated the idea of law students spending one or even two semesters in a law firm or another legal setting before entering the profession full-time.

For litigators, he suggested that certain categories of simpler proceedings or cases below a prescribed value could ordinarily be argued by junior lawyers, giving them the first chair experience.

On workplaces, Tong said his ministry was considering a Legal Profession Sustainability Guide, similar to the GenAI Guide.

The guide would set out professional norms and workplace behaviours the profession should aspire to, illustrated through practical examples of good practice.

It would complement work already being done by SAL through the Lawyers Sustainability Alliance.

He also said mentorship was not optional: "To me, mentoring is not simply something experienced lawyers do if they have time. It is a professional obligation."

On work, Tong announced that under the FLPC, his ministry would establish the Singapore Council on AI for Legal Excellence (SCALE), bringing together leaders from across the profession, academia, technology companies, in-house practice and the public sector to build a clearer, evidence-based understanding of how AI is reshaping legal work and what the profession should do in response.

He also said Singapore's domestic market alone was not enough, and that when Singapore firms succeeded overseas, the benefits extended to the wider profession, strengthening Singapore's reputation as a legal hub and attracting more work and talent.

He added: “I don't believe that lawyers will be replaced by AI. But the lawyer who harnesses AI better than the next will replace that lawyer, and I think it's important that we all understand how AI can best be integrated into our own workforce.”

Singapore's strengths

Tong noted that despite having only 6,400 Singapore-qualified lawyers, Singapore is today the second-most preferred seat of arbitration in the world.

He added that rankings and accolades, while important, were not what truly defined a profession's strength.

He said: "What matters more to me is whether the best and the brightest young legal talent will still continue to aspire to join the profession here in Singapore. Whether lawyers remain proud to belong to it, whether clients continue to place their trust in our lawyers, and whether society continues to see the legal profession as a force for good."

A ChiCha San Chen customer alleged that she was "shamed and blamed" by a staff member following an order mix-up at the bubble tea chain’s outlet at 313@somerset.

The mix-up allegedly happened because she spoke to the staff member in English.

In response to Mothership's queries, a spokesperson from Chicha San Chen said there had been a "communication breakdown".

Staff member was "visibly" annoyed

Speaking to Mothership, the customer said she visited the outlet on Jul. 22.

After waiting for about five minutes, an older staff member approached her to take her order.

According to the customer, the staff member, who was Chinese, appeared "visibly" annoyed when she spoke to her in English.

She did not appear proficient nor confident in English, the customer said.

Miscommunication

Speaking in English, the customer said she did not want milk in her drink, and told the staff member that she wanted the "Sakura Tea drink with green tea".

She pointed to a picture on the menu, and made payment.

But while watching the drink being prepared, the customer said she noticed a younger staff member adding milk to it.

She realised they had misunderstood her order as Sakura Milk Tea instead, and tried to get the staff members’ attention, but was unsuccessful.

When the younger staff member placed the next customer's drink on the counter, she pointed out that the drink was wrong.

In response, the older staff member allegedly rolled her eyes and told her that the drink was what she had ordered.

She claimed the staff member then led her to the front counter and told her to "look at the menu", before saying that it was her fault for ordering the wrong drink.

Switched to speaking Mandarin

At this point, the customer had switched to speaking Mandarin, which the staff member appeared more fluent in.

But the staff member remained unhappy, and "fluently [told her] off" in Mandarin.

When the customer asked for a refund, the staff member allegedly told her: "No, we can’t do that as it was your fault."

According to the customer, she also ended up paying more for her unwanted drink: the Sakura Milk Tea cost S$6.30, while the drink which she originally wanted, the Hachimitsu Sakura tea, cost S$5.80.

Before she left the outlet, the customer told them that she would be writing in about the incident, to which they allegedly shrugged.

She said she contacted Chicha San Chen’s customer service on the same day.

Alleged discrimination

In her messages to the Chicha San Chen team, the customer brought up the alleged "discrimination" based on her language of choice.

She alleged that the staff member did not show any signs of annoyance or unhappiness with the customer behind her, who spoke in Mandarin.

But the customer service personnel did not respond to this allegation.

The customer said she felt as though speaking English in Singapore, which has long been used as the common medium to communicate, may now attract "hostile behaviour" from some people.

In their reply, the customer service team apologised for the incident and said the staff member had been "simply educating [her] on the menu".

According to a screenshot of the chat between the customer and Chicha San Chen's customer service, they said:

"After reviewing the matter with the 313 Somerset outlet team, we found that there was some miscommunication during the ordering process, which led to a misunderstanding regarding the drink ordered.

While we understand there may have been differing recollections of the interaction, we believe the situation could have been handled much better by our staff."

She ended up receiving a S$0.50 refund for the price difference between the two drinks.

"May have been a communication breakdown": Chicha San Chen

In response to Mothership’s queries, ChiCha San Chen confirmed that it was aware of the incidents and that its headquarters had investigated the matter.

The company said that based on investigations, the customer had pointed to the Sakura Oat Milk Tea on the menu when placing her order.

However, as the outlet’s CCTV footage does not capture audio, the company was unable to verify the verbal exchange between the customer and staff.

"Based on our investigation, it appears that there may have been a communication breakdown during the ordering process," ChiCha San Chen said.

The company added that the customer had contacted its customer service team and that a S$0.50 refund was issued.