Singapore – Following an investigation conducted by the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore over its marketing practices, water purifier brand Sterra has released an apology over its false and misleading marketing practices, more specifically an ad posted in February 2024 that misled consumers into thinking that Singapore tap water is unsafe for consumption without using their water purifier.
“Moving forward, we are committed not to publish false or misleading ads, including those in relation to the quality of Singapore tap water. We value our customers and will continue to work on providing the best for them,” the company said.
It has also thanked CCCS and PUB–the country’s water supply government agency–for alerting them of consumer concerns about their advertising.
CCCS notes that three models of air purifiers sold by Sterra were made in Singapore when they were in fact made in China. Moreover, two models of Sterra’s water purifiers were marketed as “Korean” when they were neither sourced from nor manufactured in Korea, but were in fact manufactured in China; and that the ‘usual’ (i.e. pre-discount) prices that Sterra claimed for comparison with its discounted price were not genuine previous prices and, in fact, never offered to any customer.
Following this, CCCS has ordered Sterra as well to stop its unfair trade practices and put in place an internal compliance policy to ensure that its marketing materials comply with fair trading laws.
It has also stated that Sterra must cooperate with the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) and Singapore public agencies including PUB to resolve all complaints by consumers and publish clarifications in relation to any advertisements that are found to be misleading by ASAS or the public agencies.
Moreover, Sterra’s directors, Lim Liangzhi and Lim Wei Hou, have similarly given personal undertakings to CCCS that they will not engage in any unfair trade practice, or facilitate Sterra to do so in future.
Alvin Koh, chief executive at CCCS said, “CCCS takes a firm stance against businesses that make false or misleading claims in their marketing. Such practices hinder the ability of consumers to make informed decisions, which is essential for well-functioning markets. They also erode consumer trust and undermines the ability of honest businesses to compete on a level playing field.”
This is not the first time CCCS has called out a water filtration brand for misleading advertising practices. In March this year, the commission ordered water filtration brand Purexygen to remove its misleading claims and review its own marketing practices amidst public outcry on the brand’s claims that its water filters were tested by testing bodies in the sales kit.
