On a summer day, a couple sit down to watch television. An ad promoting the latest housing development project is being shown and it catches the couple's attention.
Classical music plays in the background. The ad first shows a elevated terrace. Curved arches and trees line the corridor and the floor is covered with fine marble. The scene then switches to a well-dressed couple at the one end of the terrace, with nothing but greenery in front of them. They walk to the other end of the terrace and see the sky, the mountains, and the sea form a picturesque scene. At the same time a deep voice interjects by saying "standing proudly between the sky and the sea. Being in perfect harmony with the surroundings. Relaxed living is within grasp."
The scene then switches to inside a flat. The ad shows a brightly-lit flat. The camera moves from inside an open kitchen towards the dining area and the sitting area. A chandelier hangs above both areas. The window, overlooking an unobstructed ocean view, goes all the way down to the floor. The scene then shows spacious bedrooms, with large closet within each, and bathrooms, outfitted with gold-plated faucets. All around the flat, the floor, the walls and the roof are immaculate.
The ad ends by showing the surroundings of the housing estate. Mountains and water are all that surround the housing estate.
After the commercial ends, the couple look around their home and nod at each other.
"We have been thinking of moving out of this dump for a while now," the wife says. "Perhaps it's time we act."
The husband nods in agreement. "You are right. With the current market, I'm sure we have enough savings to make a down payment and the mortgage rate should be low enough that we would have no problem making payments."
On the next day, the couple go to visit the sales office of the housing development. Upon entering the office, a number real estate agent charge at them. The couple raise their palms and darted towards a room that has been re-modelled to look like an actual flat within the housing estate, passing by the model showing the estate's surroundings. The flat is well-decorated and the furniture inside are of high quality. The couple are a little concerned about the size of the platform inside the bedrooms. However, the couple still fell that the flat they see suits their needs and decide that make the down payment for a flat. The sales office promises the couple that one can have an unobstructed view of the sea.
Each day the couple wait anxiously for the day they are handed the keys to their new home. Before long the day arrives and the couple wasted no time to inspect their new home. A representative of the estate's developer greets the couple at the building's entrance.
"What floor is it on again?" the representative asks.
"50th," the couple answer in unison. The elevator reaches the 50th floor rather quickly.
"That was faster than expected," quips the husband.
"From what I saw, it seems like the floor below is actually the 39th," remarks the wife.
"So you mean we are actually on the 40th floor?" says the husband. He tries to comfort his wife and himself by saying "well, it should be high enough that there is nothing between the sea and the flat."
"The three arrives at the flat the couple bought. The representative opens the door and hands the couple the keys. They go inside to have a look around.
The couple begin by looking at the walls and ceiling inside the flat. Before long they see cracks on the walls. Before the couple say anything, the representative explain that the cracks are not the result of water seepage.
The couple then enter the kitchen. The wife turns the taps and sees water dripping from the pipes and leaking out of the faucets underneath. The husband heads to the bathroom and sees the same thing. The representative makes a call and tells the couple that he has arranged to have the problems fixed as soon as possible. The same promise is being made after the discovery of each additional flaw — cracks on the floor, rusty door hinges.
Feeling disappointed at the flat's mediocre finishing, the couple walk towards the window to look at promised the sea view. Sure enough, there is nothing between where they stand and the sea. As they turn around, they hear loud noises from nearby. They look down and see a construction site below. They demand the representative to explain what is going on there.
Realizing that he is in a tight spot, the representative tells the couple that the construction site is in fact another housing estate developed by the same developer. He tries to mollify the couple by saying " you can still have the full view of the sea for two more years. At this location, there is still have a corridor through which you can see water after the development on the opposite side is completed."
Upon the completion of the inspection, the representative leaves. The couple look at the bedrooms and find that the rooms look more cramped and the platform are larger than what they saw at the sales office. The wife then whispers to her husband "how can they charge us so much for this? What they have shown in the sales office and the brochures are misleading to say the least."
The husband nodded and says "perhaps we should measure how big each room is as well. The rooms certainly look smaller."
Tape measure in hand, the couple measure the size of each room and find that the actual size of the flat is only two-thirds of that stated in the brochure. The couple sigh and say in unison "we've been robbed blind."