S'porean couple shamed on Taiwan TV for damaging hotel room

S'porean couple shamed on Taiwan TV for damaging hotel room

A Singaporean couple has made headlines in Taiwan - for all the wrong reasons.

The couple allegedly caused damages amounting to at least NT$30,000 (S$1,300) during their stay at a family-owned bed-and-breakfast in Taipei earlier this year in June.

The owner of the bed-and-breakfast, identified as Mr Wang, told Taiwanese media that the couple had turned up a day earlier than expected and checked in without his consent.

The pair had also reportedly left the water tap in the toilet running, and turned on the air-conditioning in the room at 16 degrees celcius for two days straight.

According to the owner, this caused ice to form on the interior of the air-conditioner and the compressor to crack, leading to irreparable damages to the unit and high utility bills.

The couple had also refused to pay for their stay and even threatened to not return the room key, according to the report on Taiwan's CTI TV.

Items were also reported stolen from the Hello Kitty-themed room, which was decorated with various Hello Kitty items and cushions.

An online article which detailed the incident had generated over 8,000 Facebook likes and 261 comments since it was posted on Saturday, mostly from outraged netizens saying that the couple had tarnished the country's image.

"Such behaviour is unbearable and really spoils our image. Haven't been to Taiwan before but heard of their great hospitality... if there's any misunderstanding should clarify and not resort to such", one Facebook user commented.

The article had also exposed the Facebook profile of the alleged Singaporean girl in the incident, but the account has since been removed.

Stomp had also reported on the incident yesterday, adding that the couple did not stay for the agreed period after checking into the bed-and-breakfast earlier.

Readers did not spare the couple any mercy, with one netizen, xiaogui1502, commenting: "If true, this is really disgraceful. Someone should expose their true identity to the media."

"If anyone recognises them, kindly tell them they are spoiling Singapore's image. Shameless couple!" Stomp reader Junhao also wrote.

ysheryl@sph.com.sg

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