"I Was Also Targeted" Frequent Incidents in Bongcheon-dong Area... Black Consumer Alert

"Bug Found in Macaron" Customer Demands Refund
Upon Collection, 6 of 12 Already Eaten
Turns Out to Be a Habitual Offender... Delivery App Designates as Black Consumer

A story about a customer who requested a full refund after eating more than half of the ordered macarons, claiming "there was a bug," has sparked controversy. However, it was later revealed that the customer is a habitual offender who has received refunds using similar methods at other stores.

A customer who ordered macarons for delivery demanded a refund, claiming that bugs were found in the macarons. The store owner fully refunded the order and collected the delivered macarons, but six out of the twelve macarons had already been consumed.
[Photo by Online Community]

On the 3rd, a post titled "I also experienced a refund after eating more than half of a delivery order" was uploaded to an online community. As of 1 p.m. on the 5th, the post had about 8,490 views and 110 comments, becoming a hot topic. The author, Mr. A, a self-employed dessert shop owner with about 10 years of experience, said, "Around 11 a.m. on the 30th of last month, a delivery order came in for 12 macarons and one Americano, totaling about 34,000 KRW," and added, "About an hour after the delivery, I received a call at the store."

A photo of the bug that Mr. B claims came out of the box. [Photo by Online Community]

When Mr. A answered the phone, the customer, Mr. B, complained, "I ordered 12 macarons, but there was a bug in the box," and said, "I didn’t see it myself; I gave it as a gift to an acquaintance who told me about it. The acquaintance had already left." When Mr. A asked for a photo, Mr. B said, "I will send the photo my acquaintance sent me," and sent a picture. The photo showed a black object stuck on a white wall. The image quality was poor, making it unclear whether it was a bug or a stain. When Mr. A said it was difficult to confirm from the photo, Mr. B sent another photo, but it was similarly low quality and not much different from the first.

Mr. A explained, "Basically, we individually package all our macarons before placing them in the box, so the food does not directly touch the box," but Mr. B continued to complain and demanded a "full refund." He even threatened to report Mr. A’s store to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Eventually, Mr. A agreed to a full refund and said, "Please do not eat the macarons. I will have the delivery driver collect them." Mr. B replied, "The acquaintance already left, so collection is impossible." Feeling suspicious, Mr. A insisted on collection, and after several refusals, Mr. B finally handed over the refunded macarons to the delivery driver.

However, the condition of the macarons Mr. A received was shocking. Of the 12 delivered, 6 had already been eaten, and the Americano that was delivered together was not returned at all. Mr. A said, "It’s absurd to want a full refund after eating six," and added, "The substance claimed to be a bug was probably bread crumbs stuck on the sweet potato cake-flavored macarons. I didn’t want to make a big fuss, but I was upset and processed the refund as a cancellation."

Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, "There are so many strange people," "Self-employed people must be struggling because of customers who abuse delivery orders," "Even if it was a bug, the macarons were individually packaged, so I don’t see the problem," "Stay strong, boss," "It might be good for affected store owners to gather and file a lawsuit," and "It’s shocking that it’s the same person."

After ordering from the store, "Please refund"... Warning for habitual black consumers in Bongcheon-dong

On the 1st, a story surfaced that most of the piece cakes inside the box were eaten to the point where the original round shape was unrecognizable, and the customer demanded a refund, sparking public outrage. This incident is the work of the same perpetrator as Mr. A's case.
[Photo by Online Community Archive]

The surprising thing is that Mr. B’s outrageous behavior is not the first time. Upset, Mr. A searched online to see if there were similar cases and got in touch with a store owner who was also troubled by customers demanding refunds for similar reasons.

Mr. A said, "I contacted the owner mentioned in the article and confirmed it was the same person," and asked, "I want to know if there are others who have been victimized by the method of demanding refunds claiming bugs in the box and returning half-eaten food during collection." He also added, "I plan to proceed with a criminal complaint." Additionally, Mr. B is said to have been designated as a black consumer within delivery apps after repeatedly demanding refunds in the Sillim-dong and Bongcheon-dong areas of Gwanak-gu.

Meanwhile, a black consumer refers to a customer who maliciously files complaints or demands compensation by fabricating problems with purchased products as if they were harmed. Delivery companies have established their own systems to protect store owners and are working to eradicate black consumers. For example, Baedal Minjok, a leading delivery app, signed a win-win contract with the National Franchise Store Owners Association in February 2020 to improve the review and rating system. It also plays a mediating role between customers and store owners in refund processes and leads efforts to eliminate black consumers.

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