iPhone Sent via Courier Vanishes, but Company Refuses Full Compensation: Victim Outraged

Recently, an iPhone and an Apple Watch worth 2.8 million won went missing during transit at a courier collection center in Incheon.

The victim used a convenience store delivery service to send the expensive electronics, but the items vanished within the collection center.

[Courier Loss Victim / Informant: We run a wholesale mobile phone agency. We sent the courier from the convenience store on our first floor, and we were told it disappeared at the collection center. This is my first time experiencing something like this. It is not a case of misdelivery or a customer failing to receive it, and mobile phones involve a large sum of money. Yet they said, 'The compensation limit is only 500,000 won, so we can only give you 500,000 won.' How can business be handled this way?]

With confirmation that several other smartphones were also lost around the same time, the possibility that this was not a simple accident has been raised.

However, the problem did not end there.

[Courier Loss Victim / Informant: What really makes no sense is that the exact time it went down is apparent. If you check the invoice tracking, it was loaded onto a vehicle, meaning there would be someone sorting the packages there, and another process of moving them again. Even though there is a clear sequence, they keep repeating the excuse that they cannot find it because it is in a blind spot for CCTV cameras. From our perspective, this is truly unacceptable. It feels like they are essentially saying, 'You just lost it, so go file an insurance claim.' They even told us that we cannot apply for it after a month passes.]

The courier company guided the victim through the accident insurance claim process, but the actual compensation limit turned out to be only 500,000 won.

This was because the actual value of the items, 2.8 million won, was not entered into the item value field on the convenience store courier kiosk, and guidance was inadequate regarding the fact that paying a surcharge could raise the compensation limit to 1 million won.

Ultimately, recovering damages appears practically difficult.

[Song Ji-won / Lawyer: The courier company acknowledges that the items were lost at the collection center. However, they claim that because it happened in a CCTV blind spot, they do not know whether someone stole it, it fell, or it is tucked away in some corner. Because they cannot know for sure, they argue that it does not constitute gross negligence. So they keep repeating that the customer should just file a regular accident insurance claim and receive up to the maximum limit of 500,000 won.]

Legally, full compensation can be received if gross negligence or intent on the part of the courier company is proven.

However, this incident occurred in a CCTV blind spot, making proof difficult.

Regarding this, the courier company headquarters stated the following:

[Anchor: We are currently investigating the cause of the loss through CCTV. If intentional damage to the goods or negligent management is confirmed, we will recognize it as gross negligence at that time. However, it seems difficult to apply gross negligence to this particular case. In other words, the courier headquarters gave the response that it would be difficult to fully compensate the 2.8 million won loss amount.]

Experts advise that when sending expensive items via courier, related regulations must be thoroughly checked in advance.

In particular, people must carefully verify the compensation limit, surcharges, and whether high-value items are eligible for registration.

(Producer: Lee Se-young, Video Editing: Kim Na-on, Video Source: News Hunters, Production: SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.