Recently, in Guiyang, a cellphone shop owner placed an order through the delivery platform Dada, requesting a delivery rider to deliver an Apple 17 Pro Max worth over ten thousand yuan. However, the goods were not delivered, and the whereabouts of the rider are unknown.
On October 17th, Ms. Meng, the owner of the cellphone shop in Guiyang, told Jiu Pai News that she ordered on the 13th through Dada for a delivery rider to deliver an Apple 17 Pro Max to a customer’s home. Unfortunately, the rider disappeared without making the delivery, and the phone meant for the customer also vanished.
Following the incident, Ms. Meng first contacted the Dada platform, but they advised her to report the case to the police. However, after filing the report, the police instructed her to file a complaint through the platform.
The police report shows that Ms. Meng indicated the missing item as an Apple 17 Pro Max 256GB in orange, valued at 10,300 yuan, which the rider failed to deliver. The platform informed her that the rider had disposed of the phone and was currently unable to be contacted, with the rider’s last known location at Dongshan Park.
In a previous report by Jiu Pai News, on October 11th, there was a similar incident in Guiyang where a delivery rider went missing while transporting the latest model of Apple phones, similar to what happened in this case. Ms. Meng mentioned that she knows Mr. Wang, who was involved in the earlier incident, and their shops are in close proximity. She expressed confusion as to why two similar incidents occurred within a short period.
Ms. Meng explained that the order on that day was supposed to be completed in less than ten minutes. However, an hour after dispatching the item, the customer had not received the phone. When she realized something was amiss, she checked the location and found that the rider was far from the delivery point. She said, “I called him several times with no answer, and his location remained static. I had no choice but to send another phone to the customer.”
On October 18th, a Dada security officer mentioned that the platform could compensate up to ten thousand yuan, but it might take a month, stating that due to the process the timeline could not be shortened for now. He added, “There’s no need to sign a compensation contract for this, and I will consult with the higher-ups on the next steps for compensation.”
This incident promptly garnered attention on social media platforms.
Weibo influencer “TechDog Brother Jian” commented, “This plot seems familiar! The rider disappears with a thousand-yuan phone, the platform promises compensation but requires a month, which is excruciatingly slow for those in urgent need of a solution. It seems one should choose a reliable and insured channel when shipping valuable items to avoid unnecessary legal tussles.”
Weibo VLOG blogger “TechHand” remarked, “Even with authenticated platform riders, some dare to act this way. In essence, some people take risks due to their opportunistic mentality. However, this isn’t an isolated case. Several years back, a rider absconded with 14 top-tier Apple phones estimated to be worth two hundred thousand yuan, but they were eventually recovered. Although it’s just one phone, if the value exceeds ten thousand yuan and retrieval is unsuccessful, severe penalties should apply.”
Financial blogger “PocketFinance” mentioned that this incident highlights the trust crisis and operational flaws in immediate retail services, stating, “The rider disappearing with a phone worth thousands directly impacts the trust foundation of instant delivery services. While the platform promises compensation, the month-long process raises concerns about the operational deficiencies, causing distress for merchants.”
Furthermore, the blogger believed that this event exposed flaws in delivery management, “Multiple similar incidents occurring in the same area within a short period indicate blind spots in risk control for high-value product deliveries on the platform. Ensuring transaction safety while pursuing speed in instant retail is a crucial issue that the platform must address.”