JB workshop allegedly loses S'porean woman's car keys
A routine car maintenance trip across the Causeway turned into a frustrating ordeal for a Singaporean woman who claims a Johor Bahru workshop lost her car keys, leaving her stranded and almost $300 out of pocket.
31-year-old bank officer, Ms Cai, recounted her experience to Shin Min Daily News, detailing how a simple oil change and air-conditioning check turned into a logistical nightmare. On Dec 29, 2024, she took her car to NK Car Care in Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru.
“The workshop was very busy,” Ms Cai explained. “Around 3pm, a staff member asked me to park my car at the car wash next door and hand over the keys. I gave the keys to the workshop owner's brother. He said he would collect the car in about five minutes.”
Hours passed with no word. It wasn’t until 6pm that Ms Cai received a distressing call: the workshop had lost her car keys.
They assured her they were searching, but by 9pm, closing time, the keys were still missing and her car untouched.
“When I arrived, the workshop owner said it was Sunday and the locksmith wasn’t available until the next day,” she said.
Determined to resolve the issue, Ms Cai took matters into her own hands, locating a locksmith herself. However, due to differences in the car’s security system between Singapore and Malaysia, the locksmith could only unlock the doors, not start the engine.
Hoping to have her authorised dealer in Singapore reprogram a new key, Ms Cai requested the workshop tow her car back across the border. The workshop refused, insisting she return to Singapore to retrieve her spare key for them to duplicate.
This suggestion was met with immediate resistance.
“If someone finds the lost key, they could steal my car," Ms Cai argued. "If my car goes missing in Malaysia, who will be responsible?”
Ms Cai, who said she had previously patronised the workshop three or four times without incident, expressed her disappointment at their lack of accountability.
Ultimately, Ms Cai paid RM900 (approximately S$271) to have her car towed back to Singapore.
Reflecting on the costly and time-consuming ordeal, she declared: “I will not go to Malaysia for car repairs anymore. This experience was really troublesome. I don't want to lose more because of a small issue.”
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