The guide, published by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore , also recommended that contractors provide a clear exchange, repair and refund policy.
Of these, CASE provided advice to 87 per cent of the consumers on how to resolve their disputes and assisted 13 per cent of the consumers to negotiate and mediate their disputes. About 39 per cent of filed cases against renovation contractors were resolved. “The guide is intended to raise contractors’ awareness of good practices that they should adopt to enable consumers to make well-informed decisions as well as conduct which may constitute unfair practices under the Consumer Protection Act 2003,” they said.
Contractors are also encouraged to obtain the CaseTrust mark by CASE as an assurance to consumers that they are committed to fair trading and good business practices. Such businesses must also protect consumers’ prepayments via the purchase of a deposit performance bond which safeguards deposits against closure, winding up or liquidation before the renovation is completed.