If you think you’re a shopping maniac who spends hundreds of dollars on Shein, Shopee or Taobao, you might want to meet someone who has taken shopping to a new level.
One man in Singapore has set a record, purchasing over 1,300kg of clothing from the Chinese online shopping platform Taobao.
He even shelled out S$600 for the delivery fee to bring the massive load to his doorstep.
Can clothes, amounting to the weight of a Toyota Prius car, be brought up to someone’s doorstep?
Just imagine the sheer number of hours and logistical challenges required to transport such a heavy load within an HDB block.
Man Orders 1,300kg of Clothes and Anticipates Delivery on 29 September 2023
As reported by local Chinese media outlet Shin Min Daily News, the customer, Zhang, operates an online clothing store where he sells clothes imported from overseas.
The order of clothing, weighing over 1,300kg, was divided into 14 large sacks, each weighing at least 130kg.
Initially scheduled for delivery on 29 September 2023, the Singaporean courier responsible for shipping Zhang’s order, Ocean Pearl Shipping & Services Pte Ltd, reached out via text message to inquire if a postponement to the following day was possible.
However, Zhang declined the rescheduling request, having already taken a day off to be present for the delivery.
As the saying goes, “the customer is always right,” at least at first.
Ocean Pearl ultimately agreed to maintain the original delivery date of 29 September 2023.
However, Zhang became frustrated when he received messages from the company explaining that the clothes had been left at the void deck and that they were “unable to bring it up”.
Clothes Were Too Heavy to Transport Upstairs
Speaking to Must Share News, Ocean Pearl, the courier firm, cited concerns over the excessive weight of the clothing as the reason for not being able to bring it upstairs.
The container carrying the goods arrived in Singapore on the evening of 27 September. Subsequently, Ocean Pearl scheduled the delivery for 29 September after unloading the cargo on 28 September.
In large cargo cases, the complimentary storage period lasts for three days, beginning from the day the container is opened.
However, upon opening the container, it became evident that the originally prepared truck could not handle the heavy load of clothing ordered.
Consequently, Ocean Pearl promptly communicated this issue to Zhang, requesting a change in the delivery date to 30 September to accommodate the need for a larger truck and additional manpower.
However, Zhang insisted the goods had to be sent upstairs that same day, 29 September.
Ocean Pearl clarified that they had entered into a contract with Lian Xing International Logistics to deliver items in Singapore and had not received payment from Zhang.
Thus, the customer had not paid the S$600 directly to Ocean Pearl but to the goods forwarder in China.
Exchange in Messages Between Customer and Courier
The text message exchange between Ocean Pearl and Zhang took a somewhat aggressive turn, with both parties resorting to uppercase letters in their responses.
Ocean Pearl maintained their position, affirming that the Chinese forwarder had previously agreed to allow the goods to be left on the ground floor.
In response to Zhang’s tone, Ocean Pearl replied that there was no need for rudeness and that any claims should be directed to China.
Clothes Were Eventually Left at the Void Deck
Ocean Pearl’s staff shared their WeChat conversations with the Lian Xing International Logistics forwarder with Must Share News, demonstrating that the forwarder had indeed consented to leave the goods on the ground floor.
Once the forwarder confirmed arrangements, the delivery personnel left the goods in the void deck area and documented the delivery by taking photographs.
At one point, the forwarder noted that the customer had refused to communicate with him or anyone else.
Ocean Pearl also said that the customer had told Shin Min Daily News that it took nearly three hours for him to move everything upstairs.
Regarding the customer’s threat to report the company to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), Ocean Pearl expressed willingness for him to proceed with that action.
Ocean Pearl assured that they can provide relevant evidence to authorities if the situation requires it.
In a surprising twist, some may side with the Singapore courier, understanding that expecting them to carry such a heavy load of clothes to a customer’s doorstep is unreasonable.
However, an online thread on Reddit has emerged, discussing the issue, initiated by Reddit user MicrotechAnalysis.
Several users expressed their support for Zhang, asserting that his reaction as a customer was justified since he had paid S$600 for the clothes to be delivered to his doorstep.
One Reddit user commented, “It’s supposed to be door-to-door delivery, not door-to-void-deck delivery. CASE is useless – he should be complaining to his vendor.”
Despite Zhang’s negative demeanour, netizens acknowledged his right to be upset due to the failure to fulfil their promise of door-to-door delivery.