Jamie Yeo's online firm slammed for late delivery of Xmas orders
She thought she had ordered the perfect Christmas gifts for her nephews.
Having ordered three Lego sets from local shopping website Mums.sg late last month, the woman, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Pachymuthu, was sure the boys would be delighted with their gifts.
But the toys worth $260 did not come in time, leaving the 39-year-old in a state of panic.
"I ended up buying substitute gifts such as chocolates and T-shirts. It was disappointing and frustrating," she said.
"I chose to shop online because I was very busy and some of the Lego sets were not available in stores."
She was not the only one. Many who did not receive their orders from Mums.sg by Christmas took to its Facebook page.
As of 7.30pm yesterday, there were more than 170 comments from customers, most of whom were angry, complaining that they did not get their orders.
Many also said that their e-mails to ?mum.sg had gone unanswered.
Netizen Yun Liu posted on Tuesday: "Most of the people made purchases here for Christmas gifts... We need the goods now."
Another customer, David Lee, wrote: "Now I have to rush and get another Lego set from Toys "R" Us."
There were also several reassurances given to customers by Mums.sg employees on its Facebook page, stating that the orders would be delivered by Christmas Eve.
APOLOGISED
The company's co-founder, DJ and television presenter Jamie Yeo, apologised to customers for the delays, but said all orders had been delivered as of yesterday.
Mrs Pachymuthu, who works in sales, told The New Paper that she chose to order through Mums.sg because it was a local provider, thus more "reliable and efficient" than using international shipping companies.
She added that she had previously ordered a floor mat from Mums.sg without complications.
For her latest order, she was promised that the items would arrive by Dec 22.
"I was already worried because Dec 22 was a little too close to Christmas. When my order did not arrive that day, I dropped them two e-mails that went unanswered," she said.
She saw a post on Mums.sg's Facebook page that all the orders would be delivered by Christmas Eve.
"I thought it had sorted everything out, so I just waited at home. But nothing came," she said.
"I thought I did everything right three weeks ago, but I was left high and dry on Christmas."
Some customers posted on the Facebook page yesterday that they had just received their orders.
Customer Poon Wei Liang, who ordered a Lego Simpsons House, wrote: "Although it is after the delivery date, at least the item finally came.
"I hope that in future the Mums.sg team would not need to work so strenuously to meet their commitments. It is stressful for the team and I really appreciate the effort taken for this bad situation that happened."
Mums.sg sorry for delay in delivery
One of Mums.sg's co-founders, Ms Jamie Yeo (above), apologised to angry customers yesterday.
She explained that her company, which was started in October last year, had received an unusually large number of orders this month.
"There were about 1,000, sometimes up to 1,500, orders each day," she told The New Paper yesterday over the phone from Bali, where she is holidaying.
"The Lego sets that we were selling were really popular because we were able to get them at about 20 to 30 per cent cheaper."
Ms Yeo, who is also a TV presenter and DJ with Power 98, added that they did not experience such numbers during Christmas last year and were not expecting that many orders this year.
"Perhaps it was because we were still a young company then," said the 37-year-old.
She also said that the Lego supplier delivered the stocks a week late.
"That meant a week's worth of packing and delivering lost," she said.
GLITCH
Ms Yeo said that a glitch in the system caused e-mails to be sent to their customers, telling them that their orders would arrive only after Christmas, which sent many of them into a frenzy.
"But we were still working and ensuring that the orders would be delivered by Christmas," she said, adding that all orders had gone out yesterday.
"It was our mistake to accept so many orders when we didn't have the resources. It is a lesson for us."
Angry customers have also posted on her personal Facebook page and one even threatened to report the company to the police, she said.
Ms Yeo said she understood her customers' frustrations.
"I get their anger. They have all the right to be angry, especially when many were disappointed that they did not receive their Christmas presents in time.
"We're really sorry and we hope for another chance from our customers," she said.
"I ended up buying substitute gifts such as chocolates and T-shirts. It was disappointing and frustrating."
- Mrs Pachymuthu on not receiving the Christmas gifts she ordered on Mums.sg for her nephews
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