$2,500 wasted: Alcohol retailer bemoans losses after deliveryman kicks and shatters bottles of Moutai

There's no use crying over spilt milk, but what about spilt alcohol?

A man ordered a box of expensive Moutai, but when he received it, he saw the deliveryman kicking the box and shattering some of the bottles within, Shin Min Daily News reported.

"I was waiting for the delivery at home on Thursday (Sept 14). At about 3pm, my dog heard some noise and ran to the door.

"I followed behind and saw the deliveryman put the box on the ground, kicking it a few times," retiree Lu Guanghui, 65, told the Chinese evening daily.

He then saw alcohol leaking out of the box.

Unable to speak fluent English, Lu could only gesture to the deliveryman to ask him not to leave, but the latter still did.

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"There were 12 bottles of Moutai in the box, and five of them were broken. The liquor also soaked the remaining bottles' packaging.

"Since I urgently needed to give away two bottles as a gift, I contacted the retailer and asked him to send two bottles over first," Lu said.

Speaking with Shin Min, alcohol retailer Sun Wei said that he had specifically told the deliveryman that he was carrying Moutai, which is fragile.

After the botched delivery, Sun, 40, contacted Grab for help but was told that the company wasn't responsible for the actions of their delivery partners.

He said: "We also reported the case to the police, but they told us to negotiate directly with the delivery platform instead.

"In the end, Grab returned the delivery fee of $27 to us."

On Sept 16, Sun replaced the Moutai that Lu lost, including the ones that were soaked, he told the Chinese daily.

His losses are estimated to be $2,500 as each bottle retails for $500.

Sun intends to hire a lawyer and take this matter to the Small Claims Tribunals. He also hopes that the deliveryman who "acted irresponsibly" can apologise for his mistake.

According to Grab's Terms of Service, the company "is not responsible for the acts… of any partner", and that "partners shall bear all liability in relation to such goods/services".

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khooyihang@asiaone.com