"Worried Customer Asking 'Why Does the Driver Pay for Everything?'... 'Staged Incident' Caught on CCTV"

On the 1st, officials are sorting Chuseok parcel mail at the Dong Seoul Postal Logistics Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A customer's lie about not receiving a package delivered to their doorstep, which led to a full refund, was exposed through closed-circuit television (CCTV).

According to Yonhap News on the 11th, Mr. A, who works for a subcontracted courier company of Coupang, stated that he plans to file a fraud complaint against this customer with the police.

The details of the incident are as follows. At the end of July, Mr. A delivered a coffee machine worth 338,000 KRW to an apartment in Gyeonggi Province and took a photo of the courier box placed in front of the door, then sent a text message to the customer confirming the delivery was completed.

However, the customer claimed they did not receive the item and requested a full refund from Coupang. Mr. A searched for the missing package by visiting 10 apartment buildings over several days. It was difficult to prove the delivery was made in front of the customer's home because the photo taken after delivery did not clearly show the apartment number or door details. It is known that in case of a lost package, the courier must find the package and return it to Coupang. Ultimately, unable to find the item, Mr. A had to compensate Coupang for the full value of the product.

It turned out that this incident was a fabrication by the customer who ordered the item. On the 2nd of last month, the courier team leader, along with a police officer, reviewed the apartment elevator CCTV and discovered the truth. The footage clearly showed the customer stepping out of the elevator and kicking the courier box into their home. Despite having properly received the delivered item, the customer falsely reported not receiving it and obtained a full refund.

After the lie was exposed, the customer belatedly admitted their fault to the courier. Mr. A told Yonhap News, "The amount I had to compensate Coupang was not small, and I don't know how many times I went up and down the apartment trying to find the package." He added, "The hypocritical attitude of the customer who worried about why the courier should bear the loss is even more aggravating." He further stated, "Couriers who work hard day and night suffer significant financial and mental damage when incidents like this occur," and said he plans to file a fraud complaint against the customer with the police.

Meanwhile, stories of couriers suffering from false claims of not receiving packages despite actually receiving them have been reported before. According to MBC in July, Mr. B, who worked in courier delivery in the Gangnam area of Seoul, received a call from a customer claiming, "I received a message that the delivery was completed, but I actually did not receive the item." This customer, who ordered expensive clothing worth 200,000 KRW through overseas direct purchase, demanded compensation from Mr. B for not receiving the item.

However, Mr. B confirmed through building CCTV that the customer took the item inside their home. When Mr. B expressed his intention to report the matter to the police, the customer reportedly responded with an attitude saying, "My boyfriend is a lawyer."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.