FOR many, online shopping is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Almost anything from international vendors anywhere is available at a mere click of a mouse.
What’s not to love?
Problems, however, arise when ‘cash on delivery’ (COD) is chosen as the mode of payment as exemplified by a video shared on Threads by puteri_izza.
The clip depicts a senior citizen taking receipt of the parcel, opening it, returning it and refusing to cough up the payment.
The delivery rider in the clip could not contain his irritation as he was at pains to explain to the “Uncle” that any issue with the item is between the buyer and the vendor.
“I’m just the deliver rider. My job is to just deliver the parcel, not accept returns,” he is overheard explaining to the “Uncle” in the clip which first surfaced on Pemburu Parcel Threads.
Describing the “elderly customer as “manyak langsi woo 👀” (crude term to describe stuck-up individuals), the poster called for delivery riders/couriers to share their experiences of delivering parcels that required the customer to pay upon receiving the items. Was this scene the norm?
The post has generated 45.2K likes, 693 comments, 902 reposts and 148 shares at the time of writing, denoting that such occurrences were indeed quite common and were largely seen as the bane of delivery riders.
Quite a few commenters called for a ban on COD as payment method simply because of the potential difficulties that could arise.
Some commenters lay the blame square at the door of “stupid customers” like the Uncle in the clip.
One called for a boycott of such customers whereby delivery riders just refuse to deliver parcels to the addresses of known troublesome individuals. Another advised such inconsiderate individuals to refrain from shopping online.
A common-sense approach was advised to avoid untoward scenarios. Always insist on payment first before handing over the package was the pertinent advice from several couriers speaking from experience.
A former delivery rider also shared an experience whereby he advised the customer that the package could be very likely a scam (a never heard before phone brand sold at ultra-cheap price).
However, the buyer persisted but then threatened to make a police report when there was an issue with the item.
This rider stood his ground and underlined that this was not his problem and the money had been transferred to the vendor. “Deal with customer service,” he advised. “It is pointless to bark at delivery riders when scammed.”
Sharing his frustrations as a food delivery rider, this blue-collar worker painted a picture where he was constantly shouted at by irate customers for late deliveries. “Did they think I was the cook?” he asked incredulously.
That sense of frustration was evident in another comment where the rider is fed-up of taking the blame for scams or erroneous orders. “Are we to blame if the food that arrives is not tasty or is it the fault of the restaurant?”
However, a few commenters sought to placate the army of disgruntled riders by calling for patience when dealing with elderly customers who may not be online savvy.
One commenter asked why the identity of the customer was NOT pixilated. “How would you feel if it were your parents on the receiving end of nasty social media comments?”
However, the reality is that COD is here to stay as platforms need customers. Without it, buyers assume the risk and many platforms will NOT want to lose the numbers. Have better SOPs (standard operating procedures) and guidelines was the call here.
All said and done, all that’s required is a little patience, understanding and a healthy dose of common sense. Online shopping is here to stay and being reasonable will go a long way towards facilitating a better shopping experience. – July13, 2026
Main image credit: Pos Malaysia
