The Popsical "Zombie" Billing Scheme
Summary: While legally insolvent and ordered to close by the Singapore High Court in mid-2024, Charaku Pte Ltd (trading as Popsical) allegedly continued to charge thousands of consumers for over a year. Users report unauthorized price hikes, duplicate billing, and an inability to cancel subscriptions.
1. The "Zombie" Charges
Despite the company being placed under liquidation, the automated billing systems remained active. Consumers reported a pattern of escalating unauthorized charges.
- Unauthorized Price Hikes: Users who originally signed up for $10.99/month saw fees quietly increase to $18.99, and eventually to $29.00 without active consent.
- Duplicate Billing: Some users reported being charged up to three times in a single billing cycle. For example, one user was charged $18.99 on June 19th and then $29.00 on July 14th before the previous subscription had even ended.
- The "Trap": The "Unsubscribe" button was reportedly removed or non-functional on the web portal. Since users could not delete their credit card details, many were forced to cancel their bank cards entirely to stop the financial bleeding.
"Popsical deserves ZERO stars... Forcefully taking away my SGD29 and letting me use the system till 13/8 is outright cheating me!!"
— "Local Guide" Google Review, July 2025
2. Company Defense vs. Legal Reality
In July 2025, over a year after the winding-up order, Popsical issued a statement to media outlet Stomp denying bankruptcy. The table below contrasts their claims with the legal facts established by the High Court and COMPASS.
| Company Claim (July 2025) |
The Legal Reality |
| "Popsical Karaoke is not bankrupt and we are still actively operating." |
FALSE. The High Court ordered the winding up of Charaku Pte Ltd on June 21, 2024. The physical store was vacated by July 2024. |
| Charges are due to a "system syncing error" during "internal restructuring." |
MISLEADING. The charges continued for over a year after liquidation. COMPASS warned in July 2024 that the company was unlikely to fulfill services. |
| "Customers can manage or cancel their subscriptions directly via our web portal." |
DISPUTED. Numerous reviews state the delete button was missing and customer service channels (email/Facebook) were unresponsive. |
3. Timeline of Collapse
- 2017 – 2023: Charaku Pte Ltd operates the Popsical service. During this period, it accumulates $1 million in unpaid royalties to the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS), despite earning an estimated $3 million in revenue.
- April 25, 2022: Creditors file an application for the winding up of Charaku Pte Ltd.
- June 21, 2024: The Singapore High Court issues the final order for the company to be wound up.
- July 1, 2024: COMPASS issues a media statement warning the public about the unpaid royalties and advises against further payments.
- July 5, 2024: Lianhe Zaobao reports the physical store at Far East Shopping Centre is empty ("ren qu lou kong").
- July 2025: Stomp reports that users are still being charged. Director Faruq Marican tells media they are "looking for solutions" but admits none have been found.
- November 9, 2025: User reviews confirm charges of $29/month are still being deducted, with zero response from the company.
4. Key Individuals
Faruq Marican (Director & Co-Founder): When questioned about the unpaid $1M in royalties, Marican stated he "did not know how to explain" the situation and expressed dissatisfaction that the copyright fees were too high.