'Over $9,000 for 2 broken vehicle plates': Man complains about 'unfair' BlueSG bill

One BlueSG customer has said that the $9,200 bill he received after getting into an accident last June is unfair. 

Ryan Chow, 24, told AsiaOne on Friday (Nov 3) that it would cost a fraction of the amount to replace the damaged vehicle parts himself. 

According to him, the electric car-sharing company has threatened legal action if he does not pay up within seven days. 

"My lawyer and I asked them for a breakdown of the charges, but there's no reply from them," Chow, who is an insurance agent, said. 

In a TikTok video on Thursday, Chow said that recent reports of other customers getting into the same predicament had inspired him to "expose" the electric car-sharing company.

Elaborating on his own experience, the man said that he bumped into the rear of a food delivery rider's motorcycle while driving at less than 10 kilometres per hour in Geylang. It was a speed that was slower than walking, Chow added.

The rider in this case didn't fall off the bike nor was injured, said Chow.

He felt that there were mitigating factors in his case too.

"The entire windscreen was fogged up. I couldn't see anything. And no matter how I tried to wipe it, it didn't work," Chow said, but admitted that it was his fault for causing the accident.

"I felt really bad. I failed to gauge my distance with him."

After checking on the delivery rider's condition, both of them went their separate ways.

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@chowchowryan/video/7296899156256247058?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7252157227077830162[/embed]

But Chow was left shell-shocked when BlueSG handed him a bill in August last year asking for an amount that he deemed exorbitant for two broken vehicle plates. 

A screenshot of the bill showed that he was charged $8,000 for a third party damage claim, on top of a $1,200 "administration fee" for damages. 

"I think they're super unfair to charge me $9,200 just because of two broken plates," Chow said. "At most it will cost me $200 if you want me to replace them".

'Not going to drive rental cars anymore'

He told AsiaOne that he has not paid the bill, adding that BlueSG first sent him a reminder to do so last October.

"They went on radio silence all the way till three days ago, when they instructed me to pay or else they will proceed with the lawsuit," Chow said.

"We sent them an email last year [asking for a breakdown of the charges] but they didn't reply to us," he added.

Chow also said that the delivery rider refused to talk to him directly about compensation, and insisted on claiming from insurance.

"I feel horrible and it's always been bugging me that it's not settled," he said. "And communicating with BlueSG the whole time has been unpleasant.

"I'm not going to drive rental cars anymore."

BlueSG: $8,000 was for 'inexperienced drivers access'

Responding to AsiaOne's queries, Jenny Lim, head of BlueSG’s Singapore office, refuted Chow's accusation about the $9,200 charges. 

She said that the $8,000 was for "inexperienced drivers access", which is for claims paid by BlueSG to third parties - the delivery rider in this case - for personal injury or property damage. 

This amount is clearly stated in BlueSG's terms and conditions, according to Lim.

"We didn't bill him for the minor damage to our car," she added.

"My claims team has been in communication with him. Our last exchange was last week." 

ALSO READ: Man slapped with $10k repair fee after stranger 'helps' him to park BlueSG car

chingshijie@asiaone.com

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.