Woman disappointed after finding small pods of flesh in durian bought from Hougang
A woman was disappointed to find five small pods of flesh in durians she bought from a stall in Hougang.
56-year-old Ms Liu (surname transliterated from Chinese) had purchased five pieces of red shrimp durians for S$70 on Sunday (8 June) morning.
Four of them reportedly had more than six pods of flesh, but she was disappointed to find only five pods in the last durian.
“I didn’t expect that a durian that cost more than S$10 would only have five lobes, and the size was like a little finger, which could fit in one palm,” she told Shin Min Daily News.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
When she tried to lodge a complaint at the stall, one of the staff members allegedly displayed a “bad attitude” and claimed their boss was not around.
Ms Liu explained that she wasn’t expecting them to replace the entire durian and was willing to settle for “a little extra flesh” or a discount.
“Unexpectedly, they said that if I was not satisfied, I could buy it somewhere else,” she shared.
Stall staff does not give extra fruit for individually priced durians
Speaking to Shin Min Daily, a staff member identified as Mr Su explained that while the durians were clearly marked with prices, the amount of flesh in each of them cannot be guaranteed.
He said that if customers chose to weigh the fruits, they would offer to “top-up” flesh if necessary. He explained:
If there is only a little flesh after opening it, we will open an extra one to make up for it, otherwise the customer will think that they are buying the husk but not the flesh, and they will definitely be unhappy.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
However, this practice does not extend to customers who buy whole durians.
Responding to Ms Liu’s claim that he had a bad attitude, Mr Su said the stall was busy at the time and he had repeatedly explained their policy to the customer. However, she remained insistent on getting them replaced.
He added:
If the flesh is not ripe, smelly, or tasteless, it is our problem and we will definitely replace it for the customer. But we can’t guarentee that every durian will be fleshy as we don’t have X-ray vision.
However, Ms Liu insisted that the vendor failed to explain the matter, claiming he only responded to her halfheartedly before ignoring her.
Fruit vendors have different policies on durians with little flesh
According to Mr Su, durian prices are relatively high now as they are not in season. For instance, red prawn durians go for S$15 each now, but prices may go down to as low as S$10 for three during the peak season.
If customers want to ensure they get plenty of durian flesh, he recommended going for the pre-packed ones instead.
Source: justhavealook on Canva. For illustration purposes only.
Mr Su added that they would not deceive customers, as competition is fierce these days and businesses need to maintain a good reputation.
“In this Internet age, if you deceive once, everyone will know the next day,” he stressed.
Also read: Customer steals S$400 worth of durian delivery after S’pore shop allowed payment later
Customer steals S$400 worth of durian delivery after S’pore shop allowed payment later
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Featured image adapted from Lianhe Zaobao.
