Concerns over car-sharing, online reviews and ticket scalping rise in CASE’s 2025 survey

SINGAPORE: Consumers in Singapore have identified car-sharing, online shopping issues and ticket scalping as continued areas of concern, according to findings released by CASE on 8 December 2025.

The survey, conducted between July and August 2025, involved more than 1,500 respondents.

CASE reported that 76.9 per cent of respondents regarded the car-sharing sector as a key source of risk.

Participants in focus groups cited billing disputes, unclear damage attribution and incident-report delays.

According to CASE, these concerns point to a need for clearer contractual terms and stronger service standards.

In response, CASE president Melvin Yong said the organisation is working with operators to develop a CaseTrust accreditation scheme for car-sharing.

He explained that the scheme aims to promote transparency, safety and service quality across the sector.

Ticket scalping was also highlighted as a significant issue, with 64.9 per cent of respondents believing it prevents genuine fans from attending events.

A further 61.4 per cent said that scalping creates unnecessary stress for consumers.

Respondents expressed concerns over fake or duplicated QR codes that are discovered only at event venues.

Focus groups also raised the issue of automated bots rapidly purchasing tickets, pushing fans to resale platforms where prices may double the original cost.

Yong said that, given Singapore’s role as a regional hub for concerts and events, more action is needed to curb scalping.

He noted that the consumer protection review panel is engaging ticket providers to explore authorised resale platforms offering greater assurance of ticket legitimacy.

Yong added that measures such as phasing out paper tickets and implementing dynamic digital QR codes are being studied to reduce scams.

Online shopping reliability also emerged as a key theme in the survey.

CASE found that 56.8 per cent of respondents had encountered issues such as fake reviews, delayed deliveries and undisclosed influencer sponsorships.

Among those affected, 26.5 per cent experienced fake reviews, while 18.4 per cent faced delivery delays.

A further 17.9 per cent encountered undisclosed sponsorships.

CASE noted that participants were sceptical of practices such as incentivised ratings, deletion of negative reviews and the creation of fake accounts.

Respondents also reported frustration with missing items and complicated refund processes.

Yong said CASE is stepping up efforts to increase CaseTrust accreditation among e-businesses.

He added that the organisation will continue advocating for mandatory merchant verification and escrow accounts to enhance consumer confidence.

Survey results also showed improved public perception of consumer rights.

CASE found that 67.4 per cent of respondents had a positive perception of their consumer rights, up from 66.9 per cent in 2024.

Confidence that businesses would not cheat or mislead consumers rose to 72.8 per cent in 2025.

Perceptions of enforcement also improved, with more respondents believing that laws against undue pressure and misleading practices were adequately enforced.

CASE said these findings indicate that consumers increasingly feel their rights are recognised and protected.

Awareness of CASE, the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act and the Lemon Law also rose compared with 2024.

Yong said it is encouraging to see steady improvements in consumer awareness.

However, he emphasised that persistent problems in e-commerce and ticketing require continued review of existing safeguards.

He added that CASE will keep promoting fair trading through CaseTrust, enhancing transparency through Price Kaki and improving access to dispute resolution.