‘Felt pressured’: Customer recounts tense exchange with durian seller in Singapore

SINGAPORE: A customer has taken to social media to share what she described as a stressful encounter with a durian seller in Geylang, warning others to be cautious.

In her post, she said she and her mother were buying durians from a stall near Block 113 Aljunied, opposite Geylang East Market & Food Centre.

According to her, she first selected a durian and asked the seller to open it for inspection, which he agreed to. Satisfied with the fruit, she then requested two more.

However, she claimed the seller later insisted she take a different durian he had chosen instead.

“I picked a small one for him to open, but he put it back and asked me to choose the one he picked, which was bigger. I was sceptical, but he reassured me it had more flesh,” she wrote.

She said the durian turned out to have hard flesh and large seeds, and she told the seller she did not want it.

The situation then escalated. She alleged that the seller raised his voice and insisted she pay for the fruit as it had already been opened.

She also claimed the seller had earlier said he would taste the durian and give it to them for free if the flesh was hard, but later refused when asked to do so.

Feeling pressured, her mother eventually paid $100 before they left.

The post drew responses from other netizens, some of whom urged consumers not to give in to such situations and to report similar incidents to the authorities. Others thanked her for sharing the experience and said they would avoid the stall.

It is unclear what the stall’s policy is regarding open durians. The seller has not publicly responded to the claims.