She waited days for her dream phone to arrive. She even filmed the unboxing for the ‘gram.
But when she opened the box, it wasn’t Apple’s latest gadget that greeted her. It was a kilo of sugar. And that was just the beginning.
Thought she beat the queue
The woman, identified as Riana, had ordered an iPhone 16 Plus from the official Indonesian iBox website while she was visiting Jogja in early May. Due to limited stock in physical stores, she decided to secure the phone online.
The model I wanted was really hard to find. Even iBox and DigiMap stores had almost no stock,” she shared in a TikTok video detailing the incident.
The delivery arrived and so did the shock
Her excitement quickly turned into disappointment just days later.
After four days, the package finally arrived via ID Express. Eager to document the long-awaited moment, Riana began recording an unboxing video.
But instead of the brand-new iPhone, she was met with a sealed 1kg bag of sugar inside the box.
Everyone was shocked. I felt completely crushed and broke down in tears thinking about the money I had spent. It wasn’t a small amount.”
Looking for answers, but hitting a wall
With emotions running high and questions swirling, she took immediate action.
Riana went straight to the ID Express office, which was the last known location of the parcel before delivery. She hoped for answers, but the staff’s initial response only added to her frustration.
The courier and staff just said, ‘It was already like that when we got it. We don’t know anything.’ They all tried to wash their hands of it.”
Manager steps in, but progress is slow
Unwilling to let the matter slide, Riana pushed for accountability.
She requested to speak with the branch manager. After some back-and-forth, the manager eventually arrived and agreed to look into the case.
That same day, Riana also filed a formal claim with iBox to report the issue on their end.
From that point on, we followed up every day with both parties, ID Express and iBox, to get updates.”
Days went by, still no refund
Despite her persistence, things remained stagnant.
For three days, the only response she received was that the case was “still under investigation.”
At first, she refrained from involving the authorities, hoping the manager was genuinely working to resolve the situation. But the lack of progress eventually pushed her to take the next step.
We had to file a police report. Only after doing that did we start getting some real updates. They told us the item or money would be refunded, but it would take time. We had to fill out forms, submit the police report, and provide all the necessary documents.”
Finally, a resolution
The wait that followed felt just as draining, but there was finally light at the end of the tunnel.
After three stressful weeks of follow-ups, uncertainty, and sleepless nights, Riana received confirmation that her refund had been processed.
I cried almost every day thinking about the money I lost. So when the refund finally came in, I was beyond grateful. Huge thanks to everyone who helped me get my rights back.”
Courier company suspects inside job
In the end, it wasn’t just about a phone. It was about the breach of trust.
Riana added that the phone was likely stolen during the delivery process, and the courier company eventually admitted that the case could involve internal misconduct.
“They also suspected it was an inside job, and that was eventually confirmed by the delivery company,” she said.
