THE furniture they ordered never turned up, so they had to cancel their housewarming.

Madam Ismilina Mohd Ismail, 35, and her husband had paid a $2,200 deposit.

But when her husband went to the store, he found it closed.

The couple had ordered $5,000 worth of furniture from Bernini Boutique at Defu Lane on 15 Mar.

The items were to be delivered on 5 Apr, the date of the housewarming party.

Said Madam Ismilina, a clerical assistant: 'The furniture was being sold at low prices.

'My husband initially wanted to pay only a $200 deposit but the sales manager said the deposit for a big purchase should be higher.'

PAID DEPOSIT

They ordered a bedroom set, a dining table with chairs, a coffee table and a sofa set.

A week before the delivery date, Madam Ismilina's husband called Bernini.

She said: 'A girl answered the call and confirmed the delivery.

'She said she would get the sales manager to call us but he never did.

'A few days later, my husband called the company and found that the number they had given us was not in use.

'He became suspicious and visited the store and found that it was closed.'

The couple, who moved into their new flat on 5 Apr, then spent another $5,000 on new furniture which was delivered on 12 Apr.

Madam Ismilina said her husband lodged a police report on 21 Apr, and the couple also went to the Small Claims Tribunal to try to get their money back.

Retiree G Harry, 58, and his wife are also out of pocket after visiting Bernini's showroom on 21 Mar.

They ordered a bedroom set and a mattress, and paid the full price of $1,256 by Nets.

The furniture was supposed to be delivered on 4 Apr.

Said Mr Harry: 'We were told the firm would call us the day before to confirm the delivery. When they didn't call, I rang them that evening and found that the telephone number was not in use.'

Mr Harry said he went to the showroom on 5 Apr and was told the furniture would be delivered three days later.

But again, it was a no-show.

When Mr Harry visited again, he found the shop closed. He spent about $1,400 to replace his undelivered items.

The New Paper visited the shop yesterday and saw its main entrance doors shut, with a padlock and chain placed on them.

The company's directors could not be reached for comment.

Consumers Association of Singapore executive director Seah Seng Choon said that, since 2003, there had been 71 complaints about Bernini, including 12 so far this year.

This article was first published in The New Paper on May 15, 2008.