SINGAPORE: A man who paid S$345 to a door-to-door durian vendor ended up being unhappy about his purchase, as he said he felt forced to buy the fruit.
The man, a real estate agent identified as Mr Feng in a Shin Min Daily News piece, was dissatisfied with the quality of the durians he bought, saying they were just “average” tasting.
Moreover, even with the vendor offering him a complimentary durian and a discount, he still felt “cheated” by the encounter.
However, when he went after the vendor, who was still at the void deck of his building, to let him know that he did not find the quality of the durians to be acceptable, the vendor insisted that the fruit he had sold him was good.
Fifty-eight-year-old Mr Feng was quoted as saying, “In the end, I had no choice but to let the matter slide. I hope this incident will remind others to be careful.”
He wanted to satisfy his cravings
Mr Feng, a resident of Block 56 Geylang Bahru, told Shin Min Daily News that the vendor knocked on his door last Saturday (May 25) at about 2 p.m. The vendor, a man who appeared to be around 30 years old, offered to sell Mr Feng some durians.
“I decided to buy a few to satisfy my craving. I asked if he had any bitter ones, and he said yes, but didn’t specify which variant,” he explained.
Mr Feng told the vendor he wanted to buy two durians at S$18 a kilo, a price he found reasonable. However, the vendor told him he needed to buy a minimum of four fruits. To sweeten the deal, the vendor also said he’d give him a free durian.
“I was quite reluctant but couldn’t refuse him, so I just agreed. He was very quick to slice open a durian but didn’t let me try it,” he said, unlike in similar instances when vendors allow buyers to taste the fruit.
The total weight of the four durians was 19.8kg, which meant his bill was S$356. However, the vendor gave him a discount and only charged him S$345.
“I felt I was forced to buy them. He even picked the large durians, so it was obvious he was trying to fleece me. I tried to question him, but he said I chose to buy them willingly.
I was very unhappy and asked him to leave after I paid. I tasted the durians — the free one was almost inedible, and the other four tasted ordinary. It wasn’t worth what I paid at all,” he added. /TISG
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