Prince & Princess World 2014: Pageant confusion

Pageant mothers are often a nervous lot.

But some of those taking part in the Prince & Princess Asian World 2014, originally scheduled for June 1 here, are especially worried.

The venue and date for the event are unclear, the organiser cannot be reached and now some are worried they will not be able to get a refund.

The New Paper understands that there are about 25 contestants, aged between four and 16 years old.

After being postponed to June 15, they are now not sure if the event will even take place.

They told TNP they have not been able to contact the organiser.

Several parents have taken to posting messages on the Facebook account "Rina-Adorable Aura" since June 5.

The account belongs to pageant organiser Norhudah Sarina Mohd Dokfar, also known as Sarina Yee, from Makin & Sorfina Productions.

Some parents have been asking if she was fine while others have grown impatient with the apparent silence.

TNP spoke to 12 parents, who paid between $200 and $1,500 to register their children for the event. The sums vary as some parents paid more to book a space in the souvenir programme book and tickets for their supporters.

Mrs Rozita Klaseboer, 42, a make-up artist, said she had paid a total of $1,150 for her seven-year-old daughter's participation.

Of that, $600 covered the registration fee, a full page of her child's photo inside the programme book and the back cover.

The remaining $550 was for a table of 10 at the luncheon, offered to Mrs Klaseboer at a discount of $10 per person.

She said: "I really don't know what happened, but the last I heard from her (Madam Sarina) was that the event would be postponed to June 15. But I explained to her that we could not make that date, and asked for a refund.

"She sent me a message on May 29 to say that the refund can take place only on June 15."

Confusion 1: On or off?

Late last month, two outdoor photo shoots were held for the children. And according to the schedule, parents should have been informed of the rehearsal timings by this week.

Madam Manjula Thanapathay, 37, paid $1,500 in total for her two daughters, aged six and 13.

The sum covered a Supremacy Award (of which there was 50 per cent discount from the original $1,500) that was to be presented to Madam Thanapathay for being inspirational, $600 for another pageant that was to be held in September and $150 registration fee for the two young girls.

The housewife said: "I've been trying to get a confirmation of the event after it was postponed, but all she (Madam Sarina) said was she'd update us, but she didn't get back to me after that."

Another mother, who declined to be named, said she had asked for a refund of $500, which she had paid for her three daughters to take part in the event. She has yet to hear from the organiser.

Confusion 2: Where is it held?

Different sets of parents were told that the pageant would be held at different venues.

Some were told it would be at the Civil Service Club (CSC) and others were told it would be at the Civil Defence Association for National Servicemen (CDANS) Country Club, both in Bukit Batok.

Mrs Brenda Desker, 43, a teacher, paid $600 for her six-year-old son's participation, of which $300 was the pageant fee and another $300 was for him to be on the cover page.

She was told the pageant was to be held at the CDANS Country Club.

Five other mothers were told that the venue would be at CDANS Country Club, while another four said they were told it would be held at the CSC.

TNP contacted the Civil Service Club and was told there was no booking made under Madam Sarina's or her company's name.

Confusion 3: Is it part of an International event?

Some mothers had signed up, as part of their children's package, to take part in the Asian International event that is supposed to be held in Kuala Lumpur in September.

Some of them later found out that another pageant organiser, ERM Singapore Marketing, was organising a similar pageant in KL and contacted them about it.

Yesterday afternoon, ERM released a statement saying: "We wish to announce that claims made about 'Rina Aura' (Madam Sarina) providing entries to Asia International Pageant was not authorised by ERM World, and these entries will not be recognised by the organisers of Asia International Pageant and ERM World.

"Only entries via ERM Singapore Marketing is valid".

A spokesman told TNP that the company has been inundated with calls from parents asking about the competition since last week.

TNP went to Madam Sarina's home in Sengkang on Monday night and yesterday afternoon, but the flat appeared to be unoccupied even though there was a bicycle chained to the gate.

We also tried to contact Madam Sarina by phone, but there was a message that said "the line is engaged".

SMSes and WhatsApp messages were also not replied to.

Pageant 101

An ERM Singapore Marketing spokesman offered some tips for those keen to take part in beauty contests:

1. All payment should be made with cheques. Cash payments should be acknowledged with official company receipts issued immediately.

2. Look out for entry forms, which can be up six pages long. Proper documents should be submitted.

3. The venue for the pageant will be confirmed by the time registration is open.

4. A month before the pageant, a briefing is held so participants know what to expect.

This article was first published on June 11, 2014.
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