Alas, several homebuyers in China had to bear the brunt of their carelessness after trusting a real estate developer.
Plastic lake with wooden bridge
The South China Morning Post reported that the homebuyers, who bought new apartments in a residential development, had a rude shock when they were handed the keys last weekend because they didn’t get what they were promised.
To be honest, 'didn't get what they were promised' is a huge understatement.
The real estate developer, Changsa Shiji Yujing Real Estate, promised the buyers a "park lifestyle" and “high vegetation cover”, with "park views".
Instead, what the owners got was a blue plastic material stuck on the ground to look like a lake, and a small wooden bridge hovering over it.
Here's a picture:
Of course, homeowners weren't too happy with what they are getting for their money.
“So, I’m supposed to be standing in the middle of blue water, which in fact doesn’t exist. There is no rock or plants,” one homeowner was quoted by the news portal as saying.
To make matters worse, a large part of the property was covered in grass block paving, and instead of grass, it was covered in yellow mud and withered turf.
One homeowner told SCMP that such aesthetics are embarassing.
“We’re very unhappy about these grass block pavers. They’re usually used for driveways or car parks.
“But this is not the car park area. It’s the open area right outside each building gate, and they call it vegetation,” the homeowner was quoted as saying.
A case of false advertising?
When contacted, the developer told the news portal that they did not promise an artificial lake in the estate, but the brochure only suggested "a natural idyll".One of the promotional materials for the property, which was based on an ancient fable, read: “The days pass slowly, as if you’ve fallen into Peach Blossom Land.”
Due to the outrage, the news portal reported that the developer will be meeting the representatives of the owners as well as the fire and urban planning departments to solve the issues.
So, let this be a lesson to always be vigilant, especially when something seems too good to be true.