Yes, the Mdada train is still running.
After a long history of feuds between cofounders and an inability to deliver customers’ orders to them, it seems like celebrity-founded e-commerce firm Mdada is still making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
And if you don’t remember the past sagas, here’s a TL;DR for you:
- Mdada’s customers complained that they did not receive their goods.
- The company lost money while livestreaming in Europe.
- Pornsak left Mdada and fell out with Michelle Chia and Addy Lee after allegedly making fake comments regarding why he left the company.
- Lee left Mdada and attacked Pornsak in a livestream.
And while scandals two to four technically don’t concern anyone (other than those who love to soak up drama), number one definitely concerns the firm’s customers, who have bought all sorts of luxury items like bags and shoes from them.
Earlier, Chia had assured their customers that all outstanding orders or refunds would be settled by June this year.
But it’s July now…
And it seems like the company’s customers have still yet to receive their products or refunds.
Customers Have Been Waiting for Five to Seven Months
When speaking to The Straits Times, several customers revealed that they have been waiting for their items for five to seven months.
A customer named Mrs Tan revealed that she spent approximately $4,700 on a luxury bracelet, t-shirt and skincare products from Mdada but has yet to receive any of her products.
She added that she was extremely displeased by the company’s irresponsibility and constant postponing of deadlines.
According to her, Mdada initially said that her items would be delivered by May before they changed it to June.
The Straits Times also spoke to two other customers who also said that they would not purchase items from the company again.
50 Complaints Have Been Lodged With CASE
Mr Melvin Yong, President of the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), told The Straits Times that a total of 50 complaints had been filed against Mdada between 1 January last year and 30 June this year.
Previously, it was reported that 44 complaints involving Mdada had been made to CASE between 1 January 2022 and 30 April 2023.
Customers complained about a variety of problems, such as not receiving their orders on time, receiving incomplete, spoiled or incorrect orders, as well as experiencing delays in refunds for items that were not delivered to them.
According to Mr Yong, at least four consumers have yet to receive their orders or refunds even though Mdada previously announced that they would do so by June.
As such, Mr Yong recommended that Mdada should issue refunds promptly if they cannot deliver the goods or if customers choose to receive a refund.
CASE has also contacted Mdada to ask for a resolution.
Mdada’s Response
When contacted by The Straits Times, Chia replied via email and said that Mdada is looking to settle all outstanding orders and refunds as soon as possible.
She also explained that the delays were mostly due to overseas suppliers being unable to ship the items out on time.
According to her, Mdada has since been in contact with suppliers to determine the amount of stock they have and has also sped up the shipment process through Mdada’s air freight services accounts.
Apart from that, Mdada also temporarily halted all livestreams to “resolve shareholder-related issues”.
According to Chia, these issues have been resolved, which will allow the company to focus on serving its customers.
On April Fool’s Day (1 April) this year, celebrity hairstylist Addy Lee revealed he was leaving Mdada.
For real.
In his now-deleted Instagram post, he said that he chose to leave due to his poor health.
However, Chia refuted this claim and told The Straits Times that Lee is still a major shareholder and key opinion leader in the company.
While Lee has announced plans to travel to China for personal reasons, Chia explained that Mdada’s key opinion leader can still be involved in the company’s livestreams without being in Singapore.