Void deck turned 'dumping ground'? Clementi resident says courier left parcels unattended

A Clementi resident was recently shocked to find piles of packages unceremoniously dumped at his void deck. 

Annoyed by the unsightly mess, Tan King Boon Jimmy took to Facebook last Saturday (Nov 18) to complain about what he saw. 

"If you did not receive your deliveries, you know why. [Packages] were there since Nov 17. Dumping ground at Clementi Ave 4," he wrote in the post. 

Tan added that he also took the liberty to shift all the parcels to a corner of the void deck as they were "scattered everywhere". 

When a reporter from Shin Min Daily News visited the estate, they found a delivery woman unloading parcels from a vehicle and placing them at the void deck of block 372. 

The delivery woman surnamed Zhao told the Chinese daily that they would usually unload their packages at an open space before sorting them. 

"We usually have one person who stays downstairs to guard the packages. We don't throw them around and we try our best to deliver the parcels as quickly as possible," said the 23-year-old, who did not disclose which courier company she works for.

Zhao shared that delivery personnel will incur a $100 compensation fee for each package they lose. 

"People might have bought more things during the 11.11 sale, so they are more packages and hence it looks messier." 

According to Zhao, she is typically assigned a delivery radius which encompasses 20 to 30 blocks. As such, she said she usually needs to find a space to sort the parcels out. 

A member of the public, Li Wenhui (transliteration) told Shin Min he occasionally sees unattended parcels dumped at void decks, which has caused him to steer clear of such courier services. 

"If items go missing, it's a waste of money, and a waste of the time spent waiting for the delivery," said the 48-year-old insurance agent. 

A Clementi resident surnamed Chen said: "There are several packages left at the void deck, it makes the area look dirty and unsightly." 

Another member of the public who works in logistics agreed that the scattered parcels were an eyesore, but acknowledged that the delivery personnel have no choice. "They don't have a proper place to sort out the packages, so they have to do this." 

No packages lost: Courier company

Responding to Shin Min's queries, a spokesperson from courier company J&T Express confirmed that no packages were reported missing from Clementi Avenue 4. 

The spokesperson also explained that it was a common practice for delivery personnel to sort the packages in an open space before delivering them to the customer's doorstep. 

J&T express also apologised for the unsightly number of parcels at the void deck due to the increase in the number of orders during the 11.11 sale period. 

READ ALSO: No doorstep delivery? Man buys over 1,000kg of clothes, gets upset over items left at void deck

claudiatan@asiaone.com