"Dongchimi Broth Leaked" Customer Requested Refund
When Collecting, Found Agwijjim with Beverage Poured Over It
A story has gone viral after a customer who demanded a refund due to issues with the packaging of delivered food was found to have poured a beverage into the food they were returning.
On the 11th, a post titled "Is this the delivery beggar I've only heard about?" was published on a Naver cafe where self-employed business owners are active.
The author of the post, identified as Mr. A, who runs a seafood stew restaurant, said, "An order came in through a delivery app around 4 p.m.," adding, "The apartment was less than 1 km away, so the delivery was completed within 30 minutes."
However, 10 minutes later, Mr. A received a call from a customer saying, "(The side dish) dongchimi broth leaked, making it dirty and inedible."
Mr. A contacted the delivery driver and asked, "Was there any accident during delivery?" but the driver replied, "There was no problem when I handed over the food."
Thinking that the dongchimi broth might have been transparent and thus not visible, Mr. A apologized to the customer, said, "We will refund you," and requested the delivery driver to collect the food.
Later, Mr. A received a message from the driver that the food's condition was not good, and Mr. A's wife went directly to the customer's home with the police.
According to Mr. A, the police said, "There is nothing we can do when we go," but their visit was a precautionary measure.
Upon arriving at the customer's home, Mr. A's wife found not only the dongchimi but also the packaging of the main dish, Agwijjim (braised monkfish), torn open, with an empty beverage bottle inside.
When Mr. A's wife asked, "The dongchimi broth leaked, so why is the Agwijjim torn open?" the customer replied, "I poured a drink in because I wasn't going to eat it anyway."
The police who accompanied them said, "Common sense dictates that if you request a refund, the product should be kept in its original condition," but since the customer maintained the same attitude, Mr. A eventually gave the refund.
The story immediately sparked controversy. Some netizens criticized the customer, saying, "It seems they poured a drink after collecting the food just to get a refund," and "They should be blacklisted as a customer."
On the other hand, some argued that the customer's actions were not wrong, stating, "If they didn't do that, the food might be repackaged and sold to other customers."
Meanwhile, according to the Electronic Commerce Act, if a consumer requests order cancellation or returns, they must return the goods already received to the business operator.
If the goods are destroyed or damaged due to the consumer's fault, or if the value of the goods has clearly decreased due to the consumer's use, order cancellation and returns are not allowed.
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