I think that the shop owner should be apologetic and offer some refund her off the $279, depending on the facts of the case, that is if Ms Najwa had been indeed made known her revulsion against all things pork clearly obvious in the first place (I.e was not using 'pig skin' as false excuse to enjoy $279 shoes for 6momth FOC)(make known about revulsion means 'lecture' explaining Islamic revulsion to pork to sales assistant who is possibly a Filipino FT who might not be aware of Muslim culture(unless sales asst is already well versed with Muslim adverse to pork concept)).
However, since Ms Najwa was indeed so satisfied with the pair that she sought to get another, she should perhaps be gracious enough to accept only ~0% to 100% compensation (depending on how forcefully she had explained the Islamic pork-revulsion standpoint to the sales assistant rather than just casually asking where the leather came from), with the 6mths used shoes being returned to the shop, possibly for donation to some non-Muslim charity organisation since a good pair of shoes would still be of good service to non-Muslim poor people.
Both sides should give and take. Singapore is a multiracial country. Unless it were a halal shoe shop, I think the Muslim is obliged to explain their special requirement to the FT who by and large might have problems conversing well even in English!.
Just like the fella/kid with a peanut allergy, no added peanuts is NOT OKAY: for these folks, only 100% peanut-free is safe to eat: so a long questionare for a restaurant chef is their parents usual habit.
If Ms Najwa had been totally casual/ random about her questioning in the first place: about the type of animal leather: just as a curious child/tourist ask random questions, being curious about everything, then she should only deserve to be paid the remaining 2nd hand value of the shoes (Sungei Road valuation price): the store owner being kind enough to refund her the remaining value although he would possibly be inconvenienced/ making a loss...
I.e.: fish and chips also contains canola oil to fry the fish, salt for chips etc but by and large, the waitress will just tell U "deep oil fried battered dory fish and potato chips" if U want to know more (e.g. where the dory fish came from, what kind of oil used (???peanut oil?), got hazelnut dust???!!!: U MUST specifically ask).
Full story:
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The Straits Times, Published on Jun 24, 2014
Muslim seeks refund for shoes lined with pig skin
By Melissa Lin
Ms Nur Najwa Abdullah and the $279 pair of shoes she bought last year. She said she wore them for six months before finding out – by chance – that the lining was made of pig skin. -- ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
A MUSLIM woman who bought a pair of $279 shoes was incensed to find out, after wearing them for six months, that the shoes were lined with pig skin.
Administrative assistant Nur Najwa Abdullah, 43, is demanding a full refund from foot care chain Happy Walker, claiming that the sales staff had told her the shoes were made of calf skin.
Ustaz Firdaus Yahya, manager of the Darul Huffaz Learning Centre which promotes understanding of the Quran, said: "In Islam, anything related to pork, such as the meat or skin, is considered unclean."
Islamic experts say while the use of pig-skin products is not considered a sin, a Muslim should go through a cleansing ritual if he or she has used the product.
Ms Najwa bought the pair of brown shoes from a Happy Walker outlet at Velocity mall in Novena last December. She wore them almost every day for half a year, even on a trip to Kuala Lumpur.
"I was very happy with the shoes. I have flat feet and it's difficult to find shoes with a broad cutting that fit me," she said.
But she was at Buona Vista's Star Vista mall shopping for new shoes for Hari Raya earlier this month when she saw a store selling the same style of shoes she had on - accompanied by a sign stating that they had pig skin lining. "It was the shock of my life. How could this happen?" she said.
She complained to the Happy Walker outlet and told the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) about it. Muis advised her to discard the shoes and wash her feet with water and clay, a ritual cleansing.
Ms Najwa said she approached The Straits Times because she wanted to raise awareness about the issue.
Velocity's Happy Walker outlet's branch manager Teo Shu Tong, 57, confirmed he received her feedback. "The outside (of the shoes) is made of cow skin, only the lining inside is made of pig skin. We didn't know about it," he said.
"As she has worn the shoes for six months, we proposed to refund her half of the cost."
He added that in Happy Walker's seven years here, there has been no such complaints. The retailer, which has five outlets, no longer stocks the range of shoes Ms Najwa bought because the "workmanship is not so good", said Mr Teo.
"Our new brands (of shoes) will not be made of pig skin lining," he added.
Ms Najwa wants a full refund, and is considering going to the Small Claims Tribunal.
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/si...im-seeks-refund-shoes-lined-pig-skin-20140624
However, since Ms Najwa was indeed so satisfied with the pair that she sought to get another, she should perhaps be gracious enough to accept only ~0% to 100% compensation (depending on how forcefully she had explained the Islamic pork-revulsion standpoint to the sales assistant rather than just casually asking where the leather came from), with the 6mths used shoes being returned to the shop, possibly for donation to some non-Muslim charity organisation since a good pair of shoes would still be of good service to non-Muslim poor people.
Both sides should give and take. Singapore is a multiracial country. Unless it were a halal shoe shop, I think the Muslim is obliged to explain their special requirement to the FT who by and large might have problems conversing well even in English!.
Just like the fella/kid with a peanut allergy, no added peanuts is NOT OKAY: for these folks, only 100% peanut-free is safe to eat: so a long questionare for a restaurant chef is their parents usual habit.
If Ms Najwa had been totally casual/ random about her questioning in the first place: about the type of animal leather: just as a curious child/tourist ask random questions, being curious about everything, then she should only deserve to be paid the remaining 2nd hand value of the shoes (Sungei Road valuation price): the store owner being kind enough to refund her the remaining value although he would possibly be inconvenienced/ making a loss...
I.e.: fish and chips also contains canola oil to fry the fish, salt for chips etc but by and large, the waitress will just tell U "deep oil fried battered dory fish and potato chips" if U want to know more (e.g. where the dory fish came from, what kind of oil used (???peanut oil?), got hazelnut dust???!!!: U MUST specifically ask).
Full story:
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-++-+-+-+-
The Straits Times, Published on Jun 24, 2014
Muslim seeks refund for shoes lined with pig skin
By Melissa Lin
A MUSLIM woman who bought a pair of $279 shoes was incensed to find out, after wearing them for six months, that the shoes were lined with pig skin.
Administrative assistant Nur Najwa Abdullah, 43, is demanding a full refund from foot care chain Happy Walker, claiming that the sales staff had told her the shoes were made of calf skin.
Ustaz Firdaus Yahya, manager of the Darul Huffaz Learning Centre which promotes understanding of the Quran, said: "In Islam, anything related to pork, such as the meat or skin, is considered unclean."
Islamic experts say while the use of pig-skin products is not considered a sin, a Muslim should go through a cleansing ritual if he or she has used the product.
Ms Najwa bought the pair of brown shoes from a Happy Walker outlet at Velocity mall in Novena last December. She wore them almost every day for half a year, even on a trip to Kuala Lumpur.
"I was very happy with the shoes. I have flat feet and it's difficult to find shoes with a broad cutting that fit me," she said.
But she was at Buona Vista's Star Vista mall shopping for new shoes for Hari Raya earlier this month when she saw a store selling the same style of shoes she had on - accompanied by a sign stating that they had pig skin lining. "It was the shock of my life. How could this happen?" she said.
She complained to the Happy Walker outlet and told the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) about it. Muis advised her to discard the shoes and wash her feet with water and clay, a ritual cleansing.
Ms Najwa said she approached The Straits Times because she wanted to raise awareness about the issue.
Velocity's Happy Walker outlet's branch manager Teo Shu Tong, 57, confirmed he received her feedback. "The outside (of the shoes) is made of cow skin, only the lining inside is made of pig skin. We didn't know about it," he said.
"As she has worn the shoes for six months, we proposed to refund her half of the cost."
He added that in Happy Walker's seven years here, there has been no such complaints. The retailer, which has five outlets, no longer stocks the range of shoes Ms Najwa bought because the "workmanship is not so good", said Mr Teo.
"Our new brands (of shoes) will not be made of pig skin lining," he added.
Ms Najwa wants a full refund, and is considering going to the Small Claims Tribunal.
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/si...im-seeks-refund-shoes-lined-pig-skin-20140624
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