Anger, sorry about the cat’s tragic story

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Wallis Wang

An apology from renovation company Taste Interior Design has failed to quell public outrage after the collapse of a television wall it installed apparently led to the death of a pet cat.

The cat’s owner, Chris, posted on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon accusing the company of negligence in installing the TV cabinet after his beloved Ah Po was hit when the wall collapsed.

Chris said the incident was due to human error and should have been avoided. His post was accompanied by a photo showing that only two screws were used to secure the TV to the wall.

“As a professional renovation company, they should know how to install the TV wall safely and correctly. They should have made sure every step was done correctly, but they never did,” Chris said.

He also said the company did not apologize and only offered to help the family install a new cabinet, adding that the company tried to shift the blame to an old renovation worker and asked him to pay HK$20,000 compensation to be paid.

In response, the company’s operator apologized three times in a video posted on social media yesterday, claiming it was difficult to determine the cause of the accident.

A man surnamed Ng, who claimed to be the company’s design director, said in the video that the company had never encountered anything similar before and colleagues were upset by the incident.

Ng said the TV wall was installed two years ago. When the company learned of the incident, it immediately sent employees to investigate. They had apologized and offered to repair the wall.

Ng said the company had not reached a compensation agreement with Chris’ family.

The worker who installed the wall also tearfully apologized and offered HK$20,000 in compensation, Ng said.

Following the incident, the company will contact customers who use hanging furniture and offer a one-time free furniture safety survey, Ng said. He urged customers to contact the company if they notice any shaking or tilting.

Despite the apology, the company continued to face criticism online, claiming the cause of the accident was “obvious.”

Interior designer Tim Ho Wai-lap believes the collapse was caused by inadequate TV wall supports and that assembly workers stormed through the wall.

“Even the TV wall mount was not securely mounted on the load-bearing wall. Additionally, the TV was movable, which could more easily cause it to come loose and collapse,” Ho said.

He suggested that homeowners talk to designers and renovators beforehand about the process and take photos of each step.