8 durians for over $300: Jurong resident says she was tricked by salesman at her door

She wanted to buy some durians for her family and friends but ended up paying almost three times the price she expected.

An elderly woman claimed that a man who visited her home at Block 845 Jurong West Street 81 recently tricked her into paying more than $300 for eight durians, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Ma Yulian, 84, said she was approached by a salesman who appeared to be in his 20s, lugging along a trolley of durians on Friday (July 28) evening.

"I wanted to buy durians for my son, so I told the man that I wanted to buy eight durians.

"He told me that there was only one Musang King left, but the other durians he had were also good," Ma explained to Shin Min.

Without asking about the durians' prices, Ma paid the man RM400 (S$120) after he told her he came from Malaysia and could accept ringgit.

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"After I gave him the money, he told me that RM400 wasn't enough, so I took out another $90 from my wallet to give to him," she said.

However, the salesman told her that the amount still wasn't enough and asked for even more money.

So, Ma took another $100 from her savings and borrowed $30 from her husband, who also didn't ask what she was buying.

After making payment, the man opened up the durians for her, packing them into eight plastic boxes.

Ma then gave three of the eight boxes to her friend surnamed Chen, 75.

As the day went on, Ma felt something amiss with her purchase and realised that she might have been scammed.

Chen also told the Chinese daily that the flesh of the durian she received from Ma were too moist, although she didn't think too much of it until Ma had contacted her.

Ma added that she hasn't made a police report, but instead hopes that her experience can serve as a warning to others.

Speaking with Shin Min, Durian Garden's owner Cai Chengcai advised customers to purchase durians from local stalls instead, because these shops would be regulated and price gouging would be unlikely.

After viewing photos of the durians Ma bought, both Cai and Durian Kaki owner Huang Chuyi said that the durians were mostly from a Thai variety.

A Musang King durian costs about $40, while a Thai durian costs $15, they said, adding that the durians the elderly woman bought were not worth the amount she had paid for. 

ALSO READ: Tourist sneaks Musang King into Sentosa hotel room, gets letter warning of $500 fine

khooyihang@asiaone.com