Lazada order arrives late due to courier issues, buyer gets $1 compensation after 'countless conversations’
A man’s coffee order was delivered late by three days as the courier company was “out of capacity”, but he was initially ineligible for compensation despite Lazada’s on-time guarantee.
On Sept 9, Stomper Shane ordered coffee beans from local roaster Zero Coffee's Lazada shop, intending to share them with his office.
The coffee beans were initially scheduled for delivery on Sept 14, but Shane only received them after 10pm on Sept 17.
Based on screenshots seen by Stomp, there was a failed delivery attempt on Sept 14, owing to the courier being “out of capacity”.
Yet another failed delivery attempt was made on Sept 16, with the same reason provided.
Shane said it was the seller who recommended he reach out to Lazada for the necessary service recovery. When he reached out, however, he discovered that he was ineligible for $3 compensation for the late delivery, as promised by Lazada’s on-time guarantee.
“Initially I just wanted to report the delay so Lazada could look into why it was taking so long,” explained the Stomper.
However, he became increasingly frustrated by the customer service employee’s response to his queries.
“The replies and attitude from customer service annoyed me, especially when they kept referring to ‘system eligibility’ without being able to explain it clearly.
“That was what made me start looking for ways to escalate the issue.”
According to chat logs shared by Shane, a customer service representative told Shane: “For the on-time guarantee, late delivery is only available for certain items and if you already claimed it before on the other order item, it cannot being claim again (sic).”
He questioned why the late delivery compensation was shown to him, if his order was not eligible for it. After a few follow-up messages, Shane was then told that customers are ineligible for the compensation if they did not meet terms and conditions such as:
- Addressing issues
- Recipient unavailability
- Force majeure
- Excluded product categories
In addition, the compensation is limited to a single claim per customer account, so a customer cannot claim it again even on a completely different order.
Unsatisfied, Shane countered that the failed delivery attempts were due to the courier’s incapacity, and not the customer’s fault.
“Despite the delivery being late, there wasn’t even a simple acknowledgement or apology.”
Lazada acknowledges ‘confusion regarding elibility’
A representative from Lazada told Stomp on Sept 24 that the case has been addressed.
“We appreciate the customer for bringing this to our attention and as a gesture of goodwill, have provided compensation. We regret any confusion caused in this instance,” said the Lazada representative.
Lazada’s representative explained that the On-Time Guarantee compensates eligible orders delivered after the promised date, subject to service terms.
“For this order, a delivery was scheduled on the original promised date (14 September) but could not be completed due to logistics capacity, resulting in the delivery date being extended and subsequently completed on 17 September,” shared the spokesperson.
“Under our policy, when a delivery attempt occurs on the original date and the timeframe is extended, the order is no longer eligible for guarantee compensation,” the platform added.
Customers can view the full terms and FAQs via “On-Time Guarantee” on the order details page.
Lazada acknowledged that the continuing in-app notification and its initial customer service response created confusion regarding eligibility.
It is reviewing its internal processes to ensure in-app messaging updates accurately alongside delivery extensions and that its support team provides clearer, consistent communication.
Customer receives $1 compensation
Shane wrote to Stomp on Sept 24, saying: “I have received the on-time compensation of $1, only after countless conversations 🤣”
He recalled receiving compensation amounts of $2 and $2.50 prior to this incident.
The Stomper stressed that his issue was never about the compensation itself, but about how “disappointing (it is) when (a platform) fails to meet that promise and then seems to look for excuses to avoid compensating customers”.
“I’d rather see Lazada put more effort into fulfilment and logistics than marketing gimmicks like this. I’ll still buy from the same seller, just on Shopee next time,” said Shane.
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