Shoppers commonly complained about being overcharged and sold defective goods. Others grumbled about unsavoury sales tactics, misleading claims about products and a failure to honour refunds.

One of the most serious cases came earlier this month, when a shopper claims he was beaten up by three employees of a second-floor game shop.

The man, who corresponded with The Straits Times via e-mail and did not reveal his name, said he was about to buy a PlayStation Portable when a salesman jacked up the price at the last minute.

That led to a heated argument, after which the man claims he tried to take a picture of the store.

But the store manager slapped him in the face, said the man, who was with his girlfriend.

Before he could retaliate, two other men rushed out of the store and started whacking him with stools, he recounted.

The fight stopped only when the building's security officers arrived and called the police.

'I never thought this kind of blatant scam and violence would exist in this wonderful country,' said the man, who moved here from the Philippines in May.

'I still think Singapore is a great place to be in, I just know now that it's not exempt from these kinds of events.'

He filed a report with police, who are investigating the Aug 2 confrontation.

The owner of the store said the salesman did not start the fight and employees did not gang up on the shopper. He told The Straits Times that it was a 'one-on-one fight'.