Singapore customer vanishes after receiving festive treats, leaving Johor manager to foot the bill
A Malaysian cookie supplier has filed a police report after a regular Singaporean customer allegedly failed to pay over RM3,000 for festive treats and blocked all contact.
Over RM6,000 in Orders, Only Half Paid
On December 26, 2024, Ms Zheng, a 40-year-old Chinese New Year cookie supplier in Kulai, Johor, received a large order worth S$1,823.10 (approx. RM6,118) from a Singaporean customer known only as Ms Tan. The order included popular seasonal snacks such as pineapple tarts, cashew cookies, and fried arrowhead chips, delivered to an industrial site in Mandai Gardens, Singapore. Just three days later, on December 29, a second order worth S$104.60 (RM351) followed.
Despite the total value exceeding S$1,927.70 (RM6,469), Tan allegedly paid only S$1,000 (RM3,355), leaving an unpaid balance of S$927.70 (RM3,112). Zheng followed up with multiple messages and calls, and Tan initially promised to travel to Johor to settle the remaining amount on January 15—but she never showed up.
After sending a reminder on January 28 and receiving no response, Zheng realized by February 7 that she had been blocked. Attempts to contact Tan through another number also failed. Zheng told Shin Min Daily News that she warned Tan about escalating the matter to authorities, but when those efforts were ignored, she filed a police report in Singapore on April 1.
“I’m not even the business owner,” said Zheng, explaining she merely managed the cookie supplies but is now personally responsible for covering the unpaid debt. Her frustration grew when she found out that the customer may have been reselling the cookies without paying the full amount.
Suspicions of Reselling and Third-Party Deliveries
Zheng suspects Tan may have profited from the unpaid goods by redistributing them. The orders were delivered to various industrial addresses, and Zheng later learned that the supposed recipients were not friends, as initially claimed, but likely third-party clients. “She told me it was for her friends, but she may have been reselling them to other businesses,” Zheng added.
A Familiar Face in the Cookie Business
Zheng said she trusted Tan due to past successful transactions. In December 2023, Tan had paid in full for a S$1,107.80 order sent to Clementi. On January 5, 2024, she completed another S$2,516.40 purchase with delivery to Depot Lane. A third smaller order of S$236 was also paid without issue in December 2024. It was this trust that convinced Zheng to accept partial payment in the latest deals.
Efforts by Shin Min reporters to locate Ms Tan have so far been unsuccessful. Her listed residential address was unresponsive, and one of the delivery locations had a closed gate bearing signage for a lion dance troupe. As of now, Tan remains unreachable. Inquiries to the Singapore Police confirmed that a report was indeed lodged regarding the case.
This cross-border dispute underscores the challenges faced by small business operators dealing with international clients. For Malaysians like Ms Zheng, the lack of legal recourse and communication breakdown has left her financially strained. Meanwhile, the case raises broader concerns for Singaporean consumers and businesses about the accountability and traceability of online orders involving physical delivery.
Sources: The Sun MY (2025), The New Paper (2025)
Keywords: Mandai Cookie Delivery, Johor Cookie Supplier, Chinese New Year Orders, Police Report Filed, Unpaid Orders
