Consumers left within the lurch after bridal store Love Nest in Town Gate all at once shuts down, workers allegedly owed months of wages

UPDATE (7 April): The Ministry of Manpower has stated it’s investigating Love Nest Holdings and its similar entities. The Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Control could also be helping 8 workers of Love Nest’s similar entities Hawk Eye (Singapore) Pte Ltd and LNHG (SG) Pte Ltd with claims of unpaid salaries.

SINGAPORE — No less than 50 {couples} and their upcoming nuptials had been suffering from the obvious surprising closure of Love Nest, its related entity L’atelier, and its connected corporate, Love Tale, which gives pre-wedding photoshoot programs and condominium of wedding ceremony apparel in addition to jewelry and residential inside products and services.

In step with Shin Min Day-to-day Information, the marriage corporate’s retailer at Town Gate used to be empty and locked up when a reporter visited on Wednesday (3 April).

Calls to the corporate went unanswered as smartly. A safety guard shared that some {couples} had accrued outdoor the store the day gone by and the police had visited as smartly, Shin Min reported.

The Love Nest Fb web page and website online stay operational however Love Tale’s Google trade profile signifies that the trade is briefly closed.

The Customers Affiliation of Singapore (CASE) informed Yahoo Southeast Asia on Wednesday that it gained 17 shopper court cases in regards to the closure of Love Nest and its related entities L’atelier and Love Tale Marriage ceremony Boutique.

In step with CASE president Melvin Yong, shoppers had reported that they engaged Love Nest, L’atelier and Love Tale Marriage ceremony Boutique, for products and services equivalent to pre-wedding pictures, makeup artists, condominium of wedding ceremony outfits, and had already made price.

“Alternatively, they have been notified on 2 April through Love Nest that it and its related entities can be briefly closed, with none readability on when those firms would reopen and honour their contractual tasks. The overall contractual quantity for those affected shoppers stands at over $58,000,” Yong stated in accordance with queries from Yahoo.

Tale continues

CASE is helping affected shoppers. Customers who require help with their disputes can manner CASE for help (hotline: 6277 5100, website online: www.case.org.sg).

In step with a spokesperson for the Ministry of Manpower and the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Control (TADMN), as of 6 April 2024, the TADM is helping 8 workers of Love Nest Maintaining’s similar entities, Hawk Eye (Singapore) Pte Ltd and LNHG (SG) Pte Ltd, with claims for non-payment of salaries.

“As Love Nest Maintaining is underneath liquidation, TADM has prompt the ones affected to document their claims during the appointed liquidator. TADM has additionally referred the affected workers who require employment help to NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i),” the spokesperson stated.

The Ministry of Manpower could also be investigating Love Nest Maintaining and its similar entities for conceivable offences underneath the Employment Act, the spokesperson added.

“We wish to remind employers to pay salaries on time to their workers. Staff who require help on wage claims will have to manner TADM early at www.tal.sg/tadm/contact-us.”

Affected consumers allegedly knowledgeable thru textual content in regards to the surprising closure

Consumer Dragonnitex, who paid in complete for a pre-wedding shoot and condominium of wedding ceremony apparel, took to Reddit on 1 April to proportion that he used to be knowledgeable that the corporate had no longer been paying salaries to workers for a number of months and so they had walked out.

When he visited the store at the identical day, it gave the look of just one worker used to be manning the shop and he or she stated that workers had left team chats as they have been “happening maternity [leave]” or “going house”.

Consumer pixel7 shared on Singaporebrides discussion board that the corporate had allegedly despatched a message to tell consumers that it will briefly remaining its operations from 2 April till additional understand, mentioning “unexpected instances and monetary demanding situations”.

It additional elaborated that “all products and services might be briefly unavailable” and that it used to be “operating diligently to unravel any ongoing problems and resume operations once conceivable”. A customer support telephone quantity used to be equipped, but if dialed, nobody picked up.

Affected groom Ramsey Teo, 30, informed Yahoo that he used to be additionally stuck off guard, as prior to one April, the corporate have been responsive within the Whatsapp team chat with him.

His bride had additionally long past for a robe becoming as not too long ago 17 February, therefore he didn’t be expecting to obtain information that the corporate can be ceasing operations sooner than his wedding ceremony in November 2024.

He and his spouse had signed up for a $8,000 package deal that incorporated a pre-wedding shoot and condominium of wedding ceremony outfits at a marriage truthful in October final yr, and have been knowledgeable that they needed to utilise the package deal through finish of 2024 or they’ll need to pay additional charges.

Alternatively, Teo, who works as an govt, counts himself fortunate as he didn’t make complete price but as he used to be “unsatisfied with their products and services”. He used to be making plans to simply pay the whole quantity after his wedding ceremony day.

He additionally shared that different {couples} had paid as much as $10,000 in complete to the corporate with out receiving any of the promised products and services.

Corporate is present process liquidation, allegedly owes workers months price of wages

A discussion board person on Singaporebrides stated that that they had contacted CASE and have been knowledgeable that the corporate used to be present process liquidation, whilst some other person used to be informed to touch the liquidator as a substitute as “the corporate does no longer have cash to pay off”.

A take a look at on the net confirmed that Love Nest Holdings used to be given a completing order on 13 January 2023. The ACRA website online additionally lists it as being “In Liquidation”, with BDO Advisory named because the liquidator.

Alternatively, the discussion board confirmed customers buying wedding ceremony programs from the corporate as not too long ago as January 2024, and that the corporate had bought programs that may be utilised as much as 2025.

Knotz co-founder Evan Ong, who has helped attach one of the vital affected {couples} with different companies, shared with Shin Min Day-to-day Information that about 50 {couples} had spent about $200,000 with Love Nest and Love Tale in wedding ceremony products and services that have been but to be utilised.

Those have been very similar to figures Teo had shared with Yahoo, according to a gaggle chat arrange for affected consumers.

A number of had filed police reviews and court cases with CASE, Ong stated.

An worker, who didn’t need to be named, informed the Chinese language paper that he have been owed two months’ wage. He estimated that greater than 20 workers have been affected and owed a minimum of $100,000 in wages or bills.

The worker added that the landlord used to be recently uncontactable and the affected workers deliberate to document a record with the MOM.

Some other worker, who additionally declined to be named, stated that a number of full-time photographers with the corporate have been owed as much as 3 months’ wage, amounting to $10,000.

Yahoo has reached out to the Ministry of Manpower for more info.

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