Durian heist or misunderstanding? Lalamove delivery rider accused of stealing nearly $400 worth of Mao Shan Wang

Did this Lalamove delivery man really abscond with $368 worth of durian? Or was it all a misunderstanding?

Anthony Gan, the owner of Famous Durian in Yishun, told 8world that he engaged a Lalamove rider to help deliver eight packets of Mao Shan Wang to two customers on Tuesday (July 11) night. 

"The first delivery rider we found on Lalamove was too far away, and it would take more than 30 minutes for him to arrive. So we cancelled the job and requested another rider," said the stall owner. 

He added that he has his own hired drivers, but had to engage an external courier that day to fulfil some extra orders. 

"The first rider probably didn't see the cancellation, so he still came to pick up the goods anyway." 

When the first rider showed up, Gan claimed that he thought he was the second delivery rider and handed him the durians.  

The durian stall owner said he only realised his mistake when the second rider turned up at his stall. One of his customers also called him asking about where the durians were. 

Gan reportedly then called Lalamove's customer service to inform them about the mix-up. 

Thinking that the first rider had fled with the goods, Gan also posted CCTV footage of the rider, asking him to return the durians to his stall by 10pm. 

The incident cost Gan $395, which includes the price of the durians and a $27 delivery fee from Lalamove. 

Rider brought durians home for safekeeping 

Gan told 8world on Thursday that Lalamove sent him an email saying that the first rider had brought the durians home for safekeeping. 

He had apparently only realised his delivery job was cancelled after he picked up the durians. 

Unable to see the recipient's address and contact details, the rider tried to contact Lalamove, but to no avail. 

As a last resort, the rider decided to bring the durians home for safekeeping. 

By the time Lalamove contacted him, the durians had already gone bad and had to be thrown away. 

Gan shared that the company has also offered him $200 in compensation and apologised for the mix-up. 

He has also deleted the Facebook post and has decided to "let the matter rest". 

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claudiatan@asiaone.com