A home-based food business in Bishan said it was affected by an alleged false refund claim after a customer reported missing items from an order, despite the merchant having photo evidence that the food was collected.
The order was placed through foodpanda as a self-pickup, meaning no delivery rider was involved.
The food delivery platform initially processed the customer’s claim, resulting in a deduction from the merchant’s earnings.
Image courtesy of Have A Bowl
However, after reviewing the case, foodpanda later refunded the amount to the business.
Home-based business Have A Bowl told MS News that they received the self-pickup order at about 7.58pm on Saturday (7 March).
The customer ordered two bowls of Super Ultimate Mee Sua, along with clam meat and cheese sausage, for a total of S$64.60.
At about 8.15pm, the order was prepared and packed. As part of their usual process, Have A Bowl took a photo of the completed order for accountability.
The photo shared with MS News shows a plastic bag containing several containers, including two that the business said held the mee sua.
Image courtesy of Have A Bowl
According to the business, the customer, who was wearing a dark blue shirt, later arrived to collect the order from the home-based kitchen.
CCTV footage from the premises showed the customer leaving with the plastic bag containing the order.
Image courtesy of Have A Bowl
However, at 9.13pm, foodpanda emailed the merchant informing them that the customer had reported missing items from the order. The claim stated that both bowls of noodles were missing.
Following the report, foodpanda deducted the refund amount directly from the merchant’s earnings.
In total, Have A Bowl said they lost S$47.80 from the order after the adjustment, leaving them with S$11.59.
Image courtesy of Have A Bowl
The merchant said they sent screenshots of the order and evidence to foodpanda and also shared their experience in a Facebook post.
“For a small, humble home-based business like ours, every dollar matters. We work long hours simply trying to earn an honest living,” they told MS News.
Source: @laiyiwansg on Instagram, for illustration purposes only
They added that they were concerned about the potential abuse of missing-item refund claims, which they said could affect small merchants, delivery platforms, and trust within the system.
The business said this was the first time they had encountered such an incident.
“We believe most customers are honest and supportive,” they said. “We are grateful for those who continue supporting small businesses like ours.”
They added that they hope sharing their experience will raise awareness and encourage stronger safeguards against possible exploitation of the system.
At about 1.10pm on Monday (9 March), Have A Bowl said foodpanda contacted them to inform them that the deducted amount would be refunded.
They shared a message from the foodpanda Help Centre apologising for the inconvenience and confirming that the disputed items had been reinstated in the order.
“Your restaurant will receive the payment for the disputed item with commission charges in the next invoice cycle,” the message stated.
Image courtesy of Have A Bowl
In response to queries from MS News, a foodpanda spokesperson confirmed that the case had been reviewed and resolved, with the full amount refunded to the merchant.
“We review each case carefully and thoroughly to ensure the appropriate action is taken,” the spokesperson added. “Merchants who encounter similar situations are encouraged to contact our support team so the matter can be promptly reviewed and addressed.”
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Featured image courtesy of Have A Bowl.