‘No-Show Right Before Delivery’ Incident Settled ... Small Business Owners Say “Received Apology from Customer”

News has been reported that the small business owner who suffered losses due to a 'last-minute order cancellation before delivery' and the customer embroiled in a no-show controversy have narrowed their differences and exchanged apologies.

On the 6th, business owner A posted on their social networking service (SNS), "I received a sincere apology from that person for the lack of smooth communication during the ordering process and for the harsh words directed at me when the controversy arose."

They added, "I also wrapped things up by saying that I will double-check more thoroughly next time."

Dessert sold by a self-employed person complaining about no-show damage (left) and a screenshot of a social media post.
Photo by Lee Seryung

Previously, on the 4th, A had posted on their SNS, "I received an order for 70 dessert sets, and the customer said they would make the payment, but when I called before delivery, they told me not to come."

A, who runs a dessert shop alone near a university in Changwon, Gyeongnam, said, "I even asked them to pay at least half, but was refused," and added, "It may not be a large amount of money, but considering the effort and time I put into making the desserts, it really hurts."

Netizens expressed their anger at A's story, leaving over 1,000 comments and even visiting the shop in person to purchase desserts.

The 70 cups of coffee that A posted for sale on a secondhand trading app that day were all bought by a department at the nearby university, and the next day, the 70 discounted desserts were purchased in a line by students and citizens who saw the post and visited the shop.

A social media post by a self-employed person complaining about no-show damages.

According to our previous coverage, the customer in question was a graduate student at the university near the shop, and it was found that a welcome party for new students of the department was held that day.

At the time, the customer claimed that they had only said they would order after further discussion and had not actually submitted an order form. They also said they did not see A's messages because they were driving all day, and since no payment was made, they argued that no order had been placed, making it difficult for both sides to reach an agreement.

In response, the university made several attempts to contact both A, who is also an alumnus, and the graduate student customer B, mediating between the two to resolve the conflict, and both parties ultimately reconciled.

The university stated, "This was not a school-organized event, and since we usually respect and prioritize student autonomy, and both sides had different claims, it was difficult to take sides or intervene easily. However, it was also unfortunate for the university to see our students hurt and in conflict, so we actively stepped in."

A said, "The customer kept apologizing and said they would consider ordering from our shop if they need desserts in the future. I thought it would have been better if we had double-checked or communicated in the middle, so both of us apologized and ended things amicably."

They continued, "From now on, I will make sure to request prepayment and always get a firm confirmation for orders. I learned another lesson from this. I want to thank everyone who empathized, comforted me, helped with sales, and the university for mediating."