Customer Buys iPhone Worth S$1,961 Online, Gets 4 Inflated Plastic Bags & Block Of Wood

Man Buys iPhone But Gets Plastic Bags & Wood, Shopee Says They’ve Apologised & Given Refund

UPDATE (9 Jan, 12.01pm): In a statement to MS News, Shopee said they contacted the user and apologised to him for the distressing experience. They also offered him the choice of a refund or replacement phone, and he opted for the refund.

They’ve since processed a full refund for him, the company said, adding, “Shopee takes this incident seriously and is conducting thorough internal investigations into the matter to prevent such incidents from occurring again.”

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E-shopping has become a way of life nowadays, but buyers should beware.

Horror stories still abound of customers failing to receive packages or getting something totally different.

In the latest of such cases, a man spent S$1,961 to buy an iPhone online, but all he mystifyingly got was four inflated plastic bags and a block of wood.

Customer buys iPhone for S$1,961 over Shopee

The unfortunate customer, named Mr Yu, reported his experience to Shin Min Daily News.

Last month, the 37-year-old healthcare worker took to Shopee to purchase an iPhone 14 Pro Max (256GB).

The device goes for S$1,987.40 on Apple’s Singapore website.

However, Mr Yu paid S$1,961 for his order, with the seller promising to deliver to his residence on 31 Dec 2022.

4 plastic bags & block of wood received, but no iPhone

The delivery person left quickly after placing the goods outside Mr Yu’s door and taking a photo as proof of delivery, he said.

Quickly opening the package, the customer found a cardboard box inside.

Upon opening the box, he uncovered four plastic bags filled with nothing but air.

There was also a block of wood in the form of a cube, but no iPhone.

Refund request allegedly turned down

Mr Yu immediately called Shopee customer service and was told to request a refund on the platform.

However, when he did so, no refund could be given, he claimed.

The company allegedly said they had already sent the payment to the seller, and the package had been sent to the specified address.

Unsurprisingly unsatisfied with their answer, he filed an appeal.

Customer suspects theft, makes police report

Mr Yu went back to inspect the package again.

He found that the adhesive tape at the bottom of the box seemed to have been peeled off and pasted back again.

Suspecting the item was stolen during delivery, he made a police report.

Customer chose to buy online due to S$8 coupon

Mr Yu told Shin Min that he usually buys phones from the Apple store.

However, he chose to shop at an e-commerce platform this time as they offered him an S$8 coupon and cashback promotions.

The item was also out of stock in many places, he said.

Before ordering, he also checked the seller’s ratings and comments and thought they were satisfactory.

He believes such platforms should provide more protection for buyers, and sellers should make sure they choose reliable delivery services.

Any losses shouldn’t be borne by the buyer, he felt.

Mr Yu hasn’t contacted the seller over the incident, he said and will patronise the company’s store the next time he buys anything valuable.

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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.