‘I'm really at a loss': Son worried as father with stage 4 cancer leaves behind unpaid loans and bills
Posting on the r/askSingapore forum on Tuesday (Jul 1), the son explained that his father has been warded and bedbound in the hospital since early June. He is heavily sedated with painkillers like fentanyl and morphine, and has become increasingly delirious, with little awareness of what is happening around him.
Despite being a high earner with access to CPF funds and having comprehensive insurance that covers most medical expenses, the father has left behind a number of outstanding financial obligations.
The son revealed that two months ago, his father bought a COE-renewed car and took a loan of around S$1,500 a month, despite his mother suggesting that he pay in full. More recently, he also insisted on renovating their home, pushing through with the works against his wife's objections. The renovation cost is in the low five figures, and he is now refusing to pay the contractors.
The son added that his mother, who earns less and has limited liquidity, has been covering all household expenses in recent months. When she asked her husband to contribute his share, he got 'angry, accused the family of trying to steal his money, and went to sleep.'
'Realistically what can we even do? If borrowing money is not an option, what then? The family car gets repo-ed? Contractors come to tear down our renovation? Ride it out as long as possible and wait for the inheritance?' the son wrote.
'DO NOT get me wrong, we are not fighting for his money; my entire family loves each other genuinely, but liddat dont pay bills also cannot right? Really at a loss.' 'You're going to have to offload whatever you can.'
In the comments, one Singaporean Redditor advised, 'Do you guys need the car? If not, sell it. Otherwise, reach out to the finance company and explain to them the situation. If need be, your mum needs to at least pay the outstanding amount for now. Do not let it get re-po. There will be additional costs involved.'
Another wrote, 'Hope he has done his nomination for cpf and has done a will. If not, do arrange quickly otherwise you're going to incur lawyer fees to get the monies under his name.'
A third added, 'You're going to have to offload whatever you can. Sell the car today. If he has stocks, sell it and use it to pay off the debt. Things like the house, rent it out and collect cash flow to use to pay for the loans. If there's credit card debt, settle as much as you can or move them to a personal loan structure.'
In other news, a 20-year-old woman shared on Reddit that her mum forced her to start working right after polytechnic.
In her post on the r/SGExams forum, she shared that her mum believed further education wasn't necessary for girls and insisted she skip university to jump straight into a full-time job. Although she admitted she was never particularly passionate about studying, the fact that she had no say in the matter made work feel more like a punishment than a personal choice.
Read more: 20 y/o woman says her mum forced her to start working right after polytechnic
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
38 minutes ago
- CNA
AirAsia is in talks to convert some existing Airbus orders into long-range jet orders, sources say
AirAsia is in negotiations with Airbus to convert some existing narrow-body plane orders to the long-range A321XLR model as it sets a path out of restructuring, two industry sources said.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Car detailing firm admits to posting fake AI-generated 5-star reviews on Sgcarmart in first such case
SINGAPORE: A car detailing company has been found to have posted fake AI-generated 5-star customer reviews on its Sgcarmart business page for the past two years, said the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) on Thursday (Jul 3). Quantum Globe, the owner and operator of Lambency Detailing, admitted to submitting the ChatGPT-written reviews using their customers' information without their knowledge and consent. 'This is the second fake review case that CCCS has uncovered, and the first case involving both a third-party platform and the use of AI to create these fake reviews," said CCCS chief executive Alvin Koh. The consumer watchdog began investigating the case in January under Singapore's fair trading laws. This came after a complaint from a Lambency Detailing customer who discovered unauthorised reviews posted under her name on Sgcarmart, an online platform for buying and selling cars. According to its website, Lambency Detailing provides a range of car detailing services from hand washing to restoration. During the investigation, CCCS confirmed with seven other customers that fake reviews with their names, vehicle registration numbers and vehicle photographs had been posted without their consent. Quantum Globe then admitted it was behind the reviews, and that it had used ChatGPT to generate them based on services it had provided to the customers. The reviews were submitted via a QR code provided by Sgcarmart that allowed users to give feedback on businesses without needing to have an account with the platform, Facebook or Google. "The posting of fake customer reviews by a business in relation to a consumer transaction is an unfair trade practice, as consumers might be misled into thinking that the product is more well-received than it actually is, and thus make misinformed purchase decisions," said CCCS. ACTION TAKEN According to CCCS, Quantum Globe has admitted to engaging in an unfair trade practice and has given an undertaking that it will stop posting fake reviews. The company also agreed to set up a feedback channel for six months to allow the reporting of any fake reviews on Sgcarmart by customers. It will notify customers whose details were used in the fake reviews that were posted between October 2024 and January, and invite them to report fake reviews via the feedback channel. In addition, Quantum Globe agreed to publish notices that will last for six months on Sgcarmart and any other online platforms it uses to promote Lambency Detailing. The notices are to inform customers that it had posted fake reviews and to let them know of the feedback channel. Any reviews on Sgcarmart that are verified to be fake are to be removed within eight working days, including the reviews flagged by CCCS during its investigation. Quantum Globe director Matthew Lim Jun Ho also gave an undertaking to CCCS that he will not engage in any unfair trade practice or facilitate any business under his control to do so. In response to the investigation, Sgcarmart owner and operator SGCM is considering additional verification methods, such as SMS or email confirmation, to enhance the integrity and authenticity of reviews on its platform, said CCCS. In June last year, furniture retailer Loft Home Furnishing was issued a warning by the consumer watchdog for posting fake 5-star reviews. Investigations into that case were prompted following complaints by some customers over reviews which contained their initials and posted on the retailer's website without their knowledge. "When businesses post fake reviews to boost their ratings and popularity, they poison the well of consumer trust. Such deceptive practices, also known as 'dark patterns', not only mislead consumers but also disadvantage honest competing businesses," said Mr Koh. "We remain committed to take firm action against businesses engaging in such unfair practices." Consumers who rely on online reviews before making purchases are advised to spend more time looking in-depth, rather than just scanning them. "Instead of just focusing on the number of reviews and the average score, look deeper into the spread of review scores and common opinions that emerge. Read a selection of reviews with different scores and form your own view," said CCCS. Other measures they can take to differentiate authentic reviews from fake ones include checking multiple websites to gauge the consistency and reliability of the reviews, as well as whether there are safeguards in place, such as verification of purchases and absence of incentivised reviews. Overly positive reviews can be a red flag, as are generic reviews that lack details or use generic buzzwords such as "amazing" or "perfect". Consumers should also be wary if there are many reviews posted under similar names, using similar language, or have repeated or similar spelling or grammatical errors, said CCCS.
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Hong Kong retailers under strain as changing trends drive store closures
HONG KONG: Hong Kong's retailers are battling against shifting consumer habits, as visitors spend less and locals head across the border to China for cheaper dining and shopping, leading to a wave of store closures. A 36-year-old Chinese seafood restaurant chain and a popular high-end food court in the bustling Causeway Bay district closed this week. Other recent closures in the financial hub include cinema chains, a major catering group, a 41-year-old bakery and a three-decade-old congee chain. Weak domestic spending and cheaper prices in Shenzhen, bordering Hong Kong, have compounded retailers' woes, according to industry figures and analysts. Furthermore, China's economic slowdown, US-China geopolitical tensions and a national security clampdown have also weighed on business sentiment and hurt Hong Kong's small and open economy. The city's GDP is forecast to grow between 2 per cent - 3 per cent this year, compared with 2.5 per cent last year and 3.2 per cent in 2023. "The change in consumption patterns is irreversible," said Annie Yau Tse, chairwoman of Hong Kong's Retail Management Association. Hong Kong was once a prime destination for high-spending mainland visitors but mass anti-government protests in 2019 and COVID restrictions led to a decline in its appeal. The authorities have launched initiatives to revive tourism, including hosting large-scale events such as Coldplay concerts and a Manchester United exhibition match at a new harbourside stadium. While visitors are returning to near 2018 levels with May arrivals up 20 per cent to 4.08 million visitors versus 4.95 million in 2018, spending remains soft. Retail sales by value rose 2.4 per cent in May from a year earlier to HK$31.3 billion (US$4 billion), the first rise in 14 months, government data showed on Wednesday. However, it remains only around 77 per cent of the HK$40.5 billion in May 2018. "We are trying hard to think of ways to turn the traffic into business," Yau Tse said. Jack Tong, director of Savills Research & Consultancy, said the recent string of closures was due to a "structural shift in the local retail market" starting from 2023. It is "no longer strong enough to support such retail trades and would be beyond repair even by further reducing rents." Overall prime street rents in the first quarter have fallen back to 2003 levels, he said. "The rise in local outbound travel in Hong Kong and changes in mainland tourists' spending patterns and preferences in Hong Kong and Macau continued to weigh on the overall retail sector during the financial year," jeweller Chow Tai Fook said. Last month, Cafe de Coral reported a 29.6 per cent drop in net profit for the 2024/25 year ended in March, citing a weak economy and consumer sentiment. Despite the tough conditions, some signs of recovery are emerging. Vipul Sutariya, who attended the jewellery fair in June, said Chinese dealers were back at the fair "not to buy immediately but to ask, which is the biggest change in the past 1.5 years," he said. "In my view that's a good sign."
