iPhone Sent via Courier Vanishes, but Compensation Capped at 500,000 Won Leaves Victim Frustrated

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 sent the expensive electronics using a convenience store delivery service, but the items vanished within the collection center.

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

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

However, there was another problem.

[Courier Loss Victim/Informant: What makes no sense is that the exact time it went missing is clearly shown. If you check the invoice tracking, when it was loaded onto a truck and taken away, someone must have sorted the packages there, and there would be a process of moving them again. Even though that sequence clearly exists, they keep repeating that they cannot find it because it is in a CCTV blind spot. From our perspective, this is really unacceptable. It is practically like them saying, "You simply lost it, so just file an insurance claim." They even said that if a month passes, we won't even be able to apply.]

The delivery 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 item value of 2.8 million won was not entered into the item value field on the convenience store courier kiosk, and guidance on how paying a surcharge could raise the compensation limit to 1 million won was also inadequate.

In the end, it appeared that receiving compensation for the damage is practically difficult.

[Song Ji-won/Lawyer: The courier company admits 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 them, whether they fell, or whether they are 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 victim should just file an ordinary accident insurance claim and receive up to the maximum limit of 500,000 won.]

Legally, if the courier company's gross negligence or intent is proven, full compensation can be received.

However, this incident occurred in a CCTV blind spot, making it difficult to prove.

Regarding this, the courier company headquarters stated the following:

[Kim Jong-won/Anchor: We are currently investigating the cause of the loss through CCTV. If it is confirmed that the items were intentionally damaged or mismanaged due to carelessness, we will recognize it as gross negligence then. However, it seems difficult to apply gross negligence to this particular case. In other words, the courier headquarters gave the response that it seems difficult to be fully compensated for the 2.8 million won lost amount.]

Experts advise that when sending expensive items via courier, people should carefully check the relevant regulations in advance.

In particular, people must check the compensation limit, surcharges, and whether registration is available.

(Planned by: Lee Se-young | Video edited by: Kim Na-on | Video source: News Hunters | Produced by: SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.