A stone supplier says his company’s lorry scraped a traffic pillar near a condominium guardhouse, and what seemed like a minor issue later escalated into a dispute involving a wheel lock and a S$500 deposit.
The incident happened last Saturday (Nov 15) at Central Grove condominium along Geylang East Avenue 1, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Mr Shi, 33, owner of “Stone Artistry,” said his employee Shadat (transliteration), 34, had gone with a colleague to install stone slabs.
“When the employees entered the condominium, the security guard stayed inside the guardhouse. To communicate better, they moved the lorry forward, but accidentally scraped the traffic pillar in front.”
Shadat said he “immediately apologised,” and was told to park at a visitor lot. As the renovation works could only be done for half a day, he was asked to leave around 1pm.
Before leaving, he wiped off the paint marks on the traffic pillar. “I thought the issue was solved, but the security guard asked me to pay a S$500 deposit,” he said. Unable to understand what the guard was saying, he called his boss for help.
When he later moved his equipment, he realised the lorry wheel had been locked. He added, “The scrape on the traffic pillar was 70cm high, but the dent on the lorry was only 30cm high. I also couldn’t determine whether all the marks were caused by me. I tightened the screws afterwards.”
Mr Shi said the guard insisted on the S$500 deposit even after he arrived. He suggested letting the lorry and worker leave while he stayed to settle the matter, but the guard refused, prompting him to call the police.
“The police looked at the traffic pillar and didn’t find any signs of damage. As it was a dispute, they couldn’t intervene. The management asked us to PayNow them, which I felt was inappropriate, especially since they couldn’t immediately give me a receipt,” he said.
Since both parties could not agree, Mr Shi left the lorry in the condominium and sent another vehicle to collect the equipment.
The condominium management said a senior security officer had reported that the lorry had hit the traffic pillar, causing scratches and dents, and that the base fixed with screws had been “pulled out from the bottom.”
They said replacing the traffic pillar would cost S$650, and a S$500 deposit was required.
Management added that the wheel was locked to ensure responsibility for repairs or replacement of the damaged traffic pillar.
