I sold a low value item (<50 SGD) to a buyer a week back. Buyer wanted to do a meetup at Woodlands. I offered a compromise to meet in the middle but he flat out refused. We agreed on normal mail instead.
This all went fine up until I had already mailed out the item. Took pictures of the parcel before sending out and got his approval on the parcel and the address etc. No complaints.
Fast forward a week later, buyer complains he never received it and starts nitpicking on the parcel – things he never mentioned before when I asked him to check.
He now wants me to refund him half the amount when I clearly stated I wasn’t liable for lost normal mail. I was continually harassed until I eventually blocked him.
He has now reported me to the police and my bank account is now frozen (according to DBS and then the police). I can’t pay for my bills nor can I receive my salary at the moment.
Could I get some advice on what I should do? I’m curious as to what the usual protocol is for freezing bank accounts.
It seems like no checks on the credibility of the buyers statements were taken before flagging my bank account for fraud. This is such an unfair/unjust situation to be put in.
P.S The buyer reported me at his nearby police station and I was told by the officer that I’ll have to go down personally to make my statement.
Netizens’ comments
- Next time, just put “self collection or self arranged delivery only (ex: qexpress, grabexpress, lalamove, etc)” on your listing and only entertain those who are comfortable with this arrangement. Less problems for you, one foot out of hell 👍
- Quickly make an appointment with the police to give your statement, bring along the photos you took and the various proofs that you had mailed the item. This will help facilitate police investigations and quickly clear your name, allowing the police to lift the freeze on your account.
- Why tf is the bank acct frozen for a low value transaction? There’s absolutely no reason for the IO to freeze it? The buyer withhold the messages evidence from the police and make up a different story?
- Don’t deal with difficult people. Most people are friendly and easy going and that’s who I usually deal with.