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Diners Card offer Viet bride by monthly installment
- Thread starter alvin36
- Start date
Just saw it on TNP today, Diners Card allow customers to pay for match making by installment ($167 monthly), total cost about 8k
does that mean can fuck unlimited... if we pay $167 monthly ??
Good deal man
This is Human Trafficking, Legalize Slave Trade of the 21st Century.
Chinks should stick to KTV. Cheap booze and cheap PRC women.
http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,203700,00.html?
Pay $167 a month for CREDIT CARD BRIDES
Matchmaking agency ties up with credit card for monthly instalment plan for Vietnamese brides
By Crystal Chan
June 01, 2009
NOVEL IDEA: Agency owner Mark Lin with a standee of a Vietnamese bride. --TNP PICTURES: NG XI JIE
WANT a Vietnamese bride? It will cost you just $167 a month. And all you need is a Diners Club credit card.
If that sounds like a sales pitch, it is.
It is the latest marketing tactic by matchmaking agency Vietnam Brides International.
The actual cost of $8,000 can be split up over four years, interest-free, for those who pay with Diners.
Agency owner Mark Lin told The New Paper on Sunday that Diners Club approached him in February, offering to install a credit card terminal for him without charge.
And the scheme started the same month. He said: 'Since it's free, why not?'
Mr Bernard Tay, assistant general manager (sales and marketing) for Diners Club (Singapore), said: 'So long as the cardholders have a valid credit limit, they qualify for the repayment scheme.'
He was quick to differentiate between an instalment plan and a hire purchase agreement.
He said: 'We won't take back the bride if the customer defaults on payments. It's not like hire purchase where we take back the product if the customer doesn't pay up by the due date.'
Debt recovery
Under the instalment plan, Diners Club's monthly interest rate of 2 per cent of the outstanding amount will kick in if the customer fails to pay by the due date.
Mr Tay added: 'If the customers still don't repay, we'll have other ways to recover the debt.'
No one has taken up this offer yet, but Mr Tay said: 'Matchmaking is considered a niche service so demand is generally lower. It's not every day that people need a foreign bride.'
Vietnam Brides International isn't the first to offer an instalment scheme for brides.
In April 2007, matchmaking agency Mr Cupid raised eyebrows by offering China brides for a downpayment of just $1.
The rest of the $6,000 bill was to be paid in monthly instalments over 10 months.
Mr Cupid has since closed its Singapore office as it is changing its business strategy.
Ethical questions
But is it ethical for someone to pay for a bride in monthly instalments, just like how people pay for electrical appliances and cars?
Mr Tay said: 'We don't make a moral judgement on the business set-up of our merchant partners. For us, it's more important that the business is legitimate.'
Mr Lin insists that he is not treating the women as commodities.
He said in Mandarin: 'It's just a service that I'm offering to customers. I've got clients asking if they can pay with Visa or Mastercard so it shows there's a demand for instalment payments.'
He denies using the instalment plan as a means to push his girls.
Mr Lin said: 'Times are bad and paying in instalments would mean not having to burn a hole in one's pocket since there's no interest.
'Even if the customer defaults on payment, I'm not the one losing money.'
In credit card payments, the card issuer pays the merchant upfront. If the customer defaults on repayment, the card issuer can take legal action to recover the debt.
Last year, three of Mr Lin's customers backed out of marriages when they lost money in the stock marketcrash.
They had each paid a deposit of $1,000 and told Mr Lin they would rather forfeit it than spend more money to complete the transaction.
Mr Lin said that if his business was booming, he would not mind paying to install Visa and Mastercard terminals.
It costs about $700 to install Visa and Mastercard terminals, with an annual subscription fee of about $100, checks with local banks show.
In the current economic climate, Mr Lin is more cost-conscious, but does not mind paying Diners Club its usual 3 per cent commission.
Other agencies specialising in foreign brides baulk at the idea.
Mr Janson Ong of Life Partner Matchmaker, which charges $10,000 for a bride, said the large amount does not make credit card payments feasible.
He said: 'How many people have such high credit limits?'
And he's against instalments 'because we could be encouraging cash-strapped men to marry'.
He said: 'If the groom can't afford the lump sum of $10,000, he's probably financially unstable.
'It could mean problems for the bride in future. In such situations, I can't be sure the man is able to care for her.'
Mr Francis Toh, who runs First Overseas International Matchmaker, said his clients usually pay with cheques or cash.
He said: 'It's just not feasible to have credit card payments. Matchmaking agencies are not supermarkets or restaurants where there are transactions every day.
'Unless I have a high sales volume, I won't consider allowing credit card payments because the installation and annual subscription fees don't justify it.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't treat Vietnamese brides like consumer goods
PRIVATE equity investor Alvin Lim, 44, has a Diners Club credit card but he will never consider a monthly repayment scheme for a bride.
On Valentine's Day last year, Mr Lim married Ms Mary Nguyen, 21, whom he met through Vietnam Brides International.
He told The New Paper on Sunday that it is always better to be able to afford something than to pay in instalments, especially when the annual interest rates are as high as 24 per cent for late payments.
When told that Vietnam Brides International has a zero-interest repayment scheme for Diners Club cardholders, Mr Lim said: 'I'd rather save up the money first before getting married. You're talking about a life-time commitment.
'If you can't afford it, you shouldn't get married in the first place. If you can't afford the repayment just months into the marriage, the banks could sue you.'
Ms Nguyen feels the instalment plan is just another way for agents to make money.
She said: 'I think that $8,000 for a bride is so expensive. It makes me wonder if the agents are doing a service or are just looking to sell us off.
'This instalment plan will only make it easier for agents to marry the girls off.'
Civil servant Alex Lee, 43, who is married to a Vietnamese woman, felt that the instalment plan makes the brides look like consumer products.
He said: 'Treating the brides as products will cheapen the institution of marriage and demean the woman.'
Still, he acknowledged that most people are mature enough to think for themselves.
He said: 'People will marry when they are ready to, not because of a promotion like that.
'The instalment plan is a creative way of attracting customers, but I doubt it will be a major factor for people who are serious about marriage.'
Family counsellor Charles Lee warned that such schemes could lead to men making hasty decisions even if they cannot afford to support a family.
Another counsellor, Mr David Lim, said: 'The woman may think her husband is cash-strapped and she could start having misgivings about the marriage.'
But Mr Lee said the flip side is that some Vietnamese girls aren't picky so long as they marry a Singaporean.
He said: 'So you must also ask: Are they sincerely looking for a husband or just a way out of poverty?'.
Pay $167 a month for CREDIT CARD BRIDES
Matchmaking agency ties up with credit card for monthly instalment plan for Vietnamese brides
By Crystal Chan
June 01, 2009
NOVEL IDEA: Agency owner Mark Lin with a standee of a Vietnamese bride. --TNP PICTURES: NG XI JIE
WANT a Vietnamese bride? It will cost you just $167 a month. And all you need is a Diners Club credit card.
If that sounds like a sales pitch, it is.
It is the latest marketing tactic by matchmaking agency Vietnam Brides International.
The actual cost of $8,000 can be split up over four years, interest-free, for those who pay with Diners.
Agency owner Mark Lin told The New Paper on Sunday that Diners Club approached him in February, offering to install a credit card terminal for him without charge.
And the scheme started the same month. He said: 'Since it's free, why not?'
Mr Bernard Tay, assistant general manager (sales and marketing) for Diners Club (Singapore), said: 'So long as the cardholders have a valid credit limit, they qualify for the repayment scheme.'
He was quick to differentiate between an instalment plan and a hire purchase agreement.
He said: 'We won't take back the bride if the customer defaults on payments. It's not like hire purchase where we take back the product if the customer doesn't pay up by the due date.'
Debt recovery
Under the instalment plan, Diners Club's monthly interest rate of 2 per cent of the outstanding amount will kick in if the customer fails to pay by the due date.
Mr Tay added: 'If the customers still don't repay, we'll have other ways to recover the debt.'
No one has taken up this offer yet, but Mr Tay said: 'Matchmaking is considered a niche service so demand is generally lower. It's not every day that people need a foreign bride.'
Vietnam Brides International isn't the first to offer an instalment scheme for brides.
In April 2007, matchmaking agency Mr Cupid raised eyebrows by offering China brides for a downpayment of just $1.
The rest of the $6,000 bill was to be paid in monthly instalments over 10 months.
Mr Cupid has since closed its Singapore office as it is changing its business strategy.
Ethical questions
But is it ethical for someone to pay for a bride in monthly instalments, just like how people pay for electrical appliances and cars?
Mr Tay said: 'We don't make a moral judgement on the business set-up of our merchant partners. For us, it's more important that the business is legitimate.'
Mr Lin insists that he is not treating the women as commodities.
He said in Mandarin: 'It's just a service that I'm offering to customers. I've got clients asking if they can pay with Visa or Mastercard so it shows there's a demand for instalment payments.'
He denies using the instalment plan as a means to push his girls.
Mr Lin said: 'Times are bad and paying in instalments would mean not having to burn a hole in one's pocket since there's no interest.
'Even if the customer defaults on payment, I'm not the one losing money.'
In credit card payments, the card issuer pays the merchant upfront. If the customer defaults on repayment, the card issuer can take legal action to recover the debt.
Last year, three of Mr Lin's customers backed out of marriages when they lost money in the stock marketcrash.
They had each paid a deposit of $1,000 and told Mr Lin they would rather forfeit it than spend more money to complete the transaction.
Mr Lin said that if his business was booming, he would not mind paying to install Visa and Mastercard terminals.
It costs about $700 to install Visa and Mastercard terminals, with an annual subscription fee of about $100, checks with local banks show.
In the current economic climate, Mr Lin is more cost-conscious, but does not mind paying Diners Club its usual 3 per cent commission.
Other agencies specialising in foreign brides baulk at the idea.
Mr Janson Ong of Life Partner Matchmaker, which charges $10,000 for a bride, said the large amount does not make credit card payments feasible.
He said: 'How many people have such high credit limits?'
And he's against instalments 'because we could be encouraging cash-strapped men to marry'.
He said: 'If the groom can't afford the lump sum of $10,000, he's probably financially unstable.
'It could mean problems for the bride in future. In such situations, I can't be sure the man is able to care for her.'
Mr Francis Toh, who runs First Overseas International Matchmaker, said his clients usually pay with cheques or cash.
He said: 'It's just not feasible to have credit card payments. Matchmaking agencies are not supermarkets or restaurants where there are transactions every day.
'Unless I have a high sales volume, I won't consider allowing credit card payments because the installation and annual subscription fees don't justify it.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't treat Vietnamese brides like consumer goods
PRIVATE equity investor Alvin Lim, 44, has a Diners Club credit card but he will never consider a monthly repayment scheme for a bride.
On Valentine's Day last year, Mr Lim married Ms Mary Nguyen, 21, whom he met through Vietnam Brides International.
He told The New Paper on Sunday that it is always better to be able to afford something than to pay in instalments, especially when the annual interest rates are as high as 24 per cent for late payments.
When told that Vietnam Brides International has a zero-interest repayment scheme for Diners Club cardholders, Mr Lim said: 'I'd rather save up the money first before getting married. You're talking about a life-time commitment.
'If you can't afford it, you shouldn't get married in the first place. If you can't afford the repayment just months into the marriage, the banks could sue you.'
Ms Nguyen feels the instalment plan is just another way for agents to make money.
She said: 'I think that $8,000 for a bride is so expensive. It makes me wonder if the agents are doing a service or are just looking to sell us off.
'This instalment plan will only make it easier for agents to marry the girls off.'
Civil servant Alex Lee, 43, who is married to a Vietnamese woman, felt that the instalment plan makes the brides look like consumer products.
He said: 'Treating the brides as products will cheapen the institution of marriage and demean the woman.'
Still, he acknowledged that most people are mature enough to think for themselves.
He said: 'People will marry when they are ready to, not because of a promotion like that.
'The instalment plan is a creative way of attracting customers, but I doubt it will be a major factor for people who are serious about marriage.'
Family counsellor Charles Lee warned that such schemes could lead to men making hasty decisions even if they cannot afford to support a family.
Another counsellor, Mr David Lim, said: 'The woman may think her husband is cash-strapped and she could start having misgivings about the marriage.'
But Mr Lee said the flip side is that some Vietnamese girls aren't picky so long as they marry a Singaporean.
He said: 'So you must also ask: Are they sincerely looking for a husband or just a way out of poverty?'.
http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,203699,00.html?
First China, then Vietnam... now Myanmar brides?
By Crystal Chan
June 01, 2009
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY: Vietnam Brides International owner Mark Lin with the Myanmar women whose marriage solemnisation he helped to arrange. --TNP PICTURE: NG XI JIE
MOVE over, Vietnam brides. Here come the Myanmar maidens.
Aged between 20 and 35, they are ethnic Chinese who can speak Mandarin and cook Chinese meals.
So they would find it easier to adapt to life in Singapore, said Mr Mark Lin of Vietnam Brides International, who's offering his customers a wider choice of brides.
Mr Lin, who had specialised in Vietnam brides since 2003, said: 'I have to teach Vietnamese girls Mandarin if they don't speak it. But these Myanmar women are already fluent in the language.'
He said the women are keen to marry Singaporean men because they want better lives outside Myanmar, which has been under military rule since 1988.
While agencies offering Vietnamese brides charge between $6,000 and $8,000, Mr Lin charges $8,800 for Myanmar brides.
Mr Lin saw a business opportunity after a Taiwanese friend asked him to obtain solemnisation dates and visas for three Taiwanese men to solemnise their marriages to Myanmar women here.
'As Myanmar doesn't have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Myanmar nationals can't get married there and vice versa,' he said.
'So the couples have to marry in another country and return to Taiwan as husband and wife.'
The New Paper on Sunday met the three Myanmar women - Cho Mi Than, 30, Yin Mya, 35, and Shauk Chin, 30, at Mr Lin's Orchard Plaza office.
They met their Taiwanese fiances last year when the men were on holiday in Myanmar.
Miss Shauk Chin said: 'We've been keeping in touch over the phone after he returned to Taipei. I'm so glad we can legalise our relationship at last.'
The Registry of Marriages here allows foreigners to solemnise their unions if at least one of the two parties has stayed in Singapore for at least 15 days.
Mr Lin is now arranging to bring two Myanmar women to Singapore as soon as their visas and passports are ready.
He said: 'I charge more for Myanmar brides as there's more paperwork involved in bringing them here. They need visas while Vietnamese girls don't.'
Other agencies specialising in Vietnamese brides say they are not worried about the competition.
Mr Janson Ong of Life Partner Matchmaker, said: 'We've been doing well with Vietnamese girls. What we have to do is to provide good wives.
'I won't consider bringing in brides from Myanmar as the political situation there is still unstable.'
Other agents said their business has slowed with the economy.
Mayle Marriage Agency, which has Vietnamese and Chinese Indonesian brides, said it had only one successful match last month.
Mayle's owner, Mr Simon Sim, said: 'Men are afraid of making a commitment if their jobs are insecure. You need money to start a family, right?'
First China, then Vietnam... now Myanmar brides?
By Crystal Chan
June 01, 2009
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY: Vietnam Brides International owner Mark Lin with the Myanmar women whose marriage solemnisation he helped to arrange. --TNP PICTURE: NG XI JIE
MOVE over, Vietnam brides. Here come the Myanmar maidens.
Aged between 20 and 35, they are ethnic Chinese who can speak Mandarin and cook Chinese meals.
So they would find it easier to adapt to life in Singapore, said Mr Mark Lin of Vietnam Brides International, who's offering his customers a wider choice of brides.
Mr Lin, who had specialised in Vietnam brides since 2003, said: 'I have to teach Vietnamese girls Mandarin if they don't speak it. But these Myanmar women are already fluent in the language.'
He said the women are keen to marry Singaporean men because they want better lives outside Myanmar, which has been under military rule since 1988.
While agencies offering Vietnamese brides charge between $6,000 and $8,000, Mr Lin charges $8,800 for Myanmar brides.
Mr Lin saw a business opportunity after a Taiwanese friend asked him to obtain solemnisation dates and visas for three Taiwanese men to solemnise their marriages to Myanmar women here.
'As Myanmar doesn't have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Myanmar nationals can't get married there and vice versa,' he said.
'So the couples have to marry in another country and return to Taiwan as husband and wife.'
The New Paper on Sunday met the three Myanmar women - Cho Mi Than, 30, Yin Mya, 35, and Shauk Chin, 30, at Mr Lin's Orchard Plaza office.
They met their Taiwanese fiances last year when the men were on holiday in Myanmar.
Miss Shauk Chin said: 'We've been keeping in touch over the phone after he returned to Taipei. I'm so glad we can legalise our relationship at last.'
The Registry of Marriages here allows foreigners to solemnise their unions if at least one of the two parties has stayed in Singapore for at least 15 days.
Mr Lin is now arranging to bring two Myanmar women to Singapore as soon as their visas and passports are ready.
He said: 'I charge more for Myanmar brides as there's more paperwork involved in bringing them here. They need visas while Vietnamese girls don't.'
Other agencies specialising in Vietnamese brides say they are not worried about the competition.
Mr Janson Ong of Life Partner Matchmaker, said: 'We've been doing well with Vietnamese girls. What we have to do is to provide good wives.
'I won't consider bringing in brides from Myanmar as the political situation there is still unstable.'
Other agents said their business has slowed with the economy.
Mayle Marriage Agency, which has Vietnamese and Chinese Indonesian brides, said it had only one successful match last month.
Mayle's owner, Mr Simon Sim, said: 'Men are afraid of making a commitment if their jobs are insecure. You need money to start a family, right?'
NO repossession of goods, but to repay the interest and loan, you and your newly-wed FTalented wife would have to sell backside at Geylang.
"Mr Tay added: 'If the customers still don't repay, we'll have other ways to recover the debt.':
"Mr Tay added: 'If the customers still don't repay, we'll have other ways to recover the debt.':
Is there an alternative? Like making home-made video to sell?
What happens if the bride runs away after a few months? Does Diner's Club or Mark Lin provide money back guarantee?
When sinkie men have to BUY brides on credit as a result of their inability to bed a girl the good old way, we all know the country has sunk to new lows.
What a freakin' bunch of losers.
Shouldn't be surprised lah. Many Sporeans are in constant debt to the PAP. Utilities, CPF, HDB, ERP, Public transport, NTUC , ....all goes to them
stinko ah nehs like u should stick to match-making.. can claim big dowry from them somemore.:oIo::oIo:
next u can burn them and declare as kitchen accident. then marry another n claim dowry again:oIo::oIo:
I wonder about the Vietnamese girls marrying so far away from home in a culture that is totally different from theirs, esp if the girls are from the countryside.
At least the PRCs can communicate with 70% of the population here.
I had a friend whose Viet wife is pestering him to get their own place now even they have no problems staying with his parents. Just wondering whether it is just a need to have some privacy or something more sinister on hand.
At least the PRCs can communicate with 70% of the population here.
I had a friend whose Viet wife is pestering him to get their own place now even they have no problems staying with his parents. Just wondering whether it is just a need to have some privacy or something more sinister on hand.
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