5 durians for $488: Punggol residents accuse door-to-door salesman of selling them sour, unripe fruits

They wanted to indulge in the king of fruits but ended up feeling cheated.

Two Punggol residents have accused a door-to-door salesman of peddling sour and unripe durians at astronomical prices, reported Shin Min Daily News.

One resident, surnamed Chen, who lives at Block 613D Punggol Drive, told the Chinese evening daily that a man had visited her home on July 31 and asked if she was interested in joining a durian group order.

"Because he said he lives upstairs, I didn't think much of it and agreed, trusting him," the durian lover explained.

Later that day, another man claiming to be a deliveryman rang her doorbell carrying two big sacks of durians.

He reportedly offered Chen a 'Musang King' weighing 3kg, and suggested she add another small black thorn durian to her order.

But she alleged that the man opened the fruits before weighing them and claimed the two weighed 11.78kg and cost $187.

"I was stunned — he clearly said the big durian is 3kg, how did the weight become 12kg after adding the small durian?" Chen asked.

After she said her husband will not be happy with her for spending so much money, the man told her that she could pay just $150 if she gave him a drink.

When she and her husband prepared to tuck into the durians later, they purportedly found that the flesh in one container was sour, and the flesh in the other was unripe.

Calls to the number given by the salesman bounced back, and her messages went unreplied. Residents in the community chat group said they did not know any durian seller living upstairs, leading her to realise it was a scam.

$488 for five Black Gold and Musang King durians

Another resident living in a nearby block told Shin Min Daily News she had encountered the same salesperson on July 30 and alleged that she ended up paying $488 for five durians that weighed 36kg.

The woman, who did not want to be named, said the salesman had similarly identified himself as a neighbour who lives upstairs.

After she and her husband indicated their interest, he returned with another man later that night and offered them five durians.

The couple said they only wanted to purchase two, but the duo purportedly insisted that the fruit was "specially reserved" and "buy four and get one free".

She pointed out that the salespersons had weighed the durians and said it was 36kg and immediately dehusked it, leaving the couple with no time to refuse.

"Regarding the durian quality, some were still unripe, and some were a bit sour. The seller said it is the Black Gold and Musang King variants, but the taste makes me doubtful."

Similarly, the salesman did not respond to her messages.

Both residents have lodged police reports, Shin Min reported.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com