There’s nothing worse than ordering a durian delivery online, waiting eagerly to receive and devour them only to find out — you’ve been scammed.
That’s what happened to 200 durian lovers in 2020, when an unscrupulous online durian seller scammed paying customers by sending rotting durians, or no durians at all!
Nowadays, the internet is rife with online durian sellers trying to make a quick buck during the booming durian season. Knowing how to weed out the fraudsters from the honest, legitimate sellers is a vital skill for durian lovers, especially if you enjoy the convenience of getting them delivered to your door. Here are our tips to help you avoid online durian scams!
1. Look Out for Positive Reviews
For starters, what do past customers think of the online store? Good reviews and testimonials are some of the best ways to check if the shop is, at the very least, trustworthy. You can also look out for reviews talking about durian quality, customer service, prices, and delivery service to help you assess the seller. Before placing an order, take a few minutes to check out the store’s website, Google reviews, or social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram for customer reviews.
2. Check the Refund or Replacement Policy
As much as good sellers try to ensure the utmost quality in their durians, sometimes, an unripe or unsavoury-tasting durian might slip through the cracks. This is where a replacement policy comes into play. An honest seller may provide a full replacement of poor-quality durians or offer a refund, while a dishonest scammer will likely take no action in correcting their mistake. Look out for such policies on the seller’s website, or ask the seller if you are unsure.
Here at Kungfu Durian, we provide 100% quality assurance to our customers. In the event that durians are unripe or not of good quality, customers can send photos of their durians within 2 hours of delivery, and we will fully replace the affected durians, delivered free of charge.
3. Ensure You Receive an E-Receipt
Similar to other online purchases, receiving an electronic invoice or receipt via email is to be expected. It serves as proof, lets you know that the seller has received your order, and usually contains an order number you can use for enquiries. If you’ve placed a durian order and not received an e-receipt or any acknowledgement, that’s definitely a red flag.
4. Know Your Durians
When buying durians online, you don’t get to pick and choose for freshness and authenticity. All you can do is trust that when you click check-out on Mao Shan Wang, the seller is actually packing Mao Shan Wang into the box. One way to overcome this is to get to know durian varieties by look, flavour, and texture. Ordered Red Prawn but the seller sent D13 instead? A durian aficionado would know!
5. See if the Seller Has Been Featured in Local Media
Last but not least, do a quick Google to see if trusted online publications or local newspapers have talked about the durian shop. Not being featured doesn’t necessarily mean they are unreliable, but if they are, it is a bonus testament to their quality!
Choose Reliable Sellers for Peace of Mind
Now that you’re equipped with these tips, you can make more informed decisions to steer clear of fraudulent durian shops online!
Kungfu Durian is run by a group of die-hard durian lovers, just like yourself. We know how it feels to be overcharged and scammed for poor-quality durians from dishonest sellers. And to that, we say, “no more!” Our top priority is to provide delicious, quality durians at transparent prices, with reliable delivery services for our customers. Visit our e-shop to browse a wide selection of durians now.