M'sian Vendor Breaks Down In Tears & Claims Organiser Damaged RM1K Worth Of Her Crafts
The handicrafts vendor and the community market have both denied allegations made against each other.
By Hizral Faiz Rozeman — 22 Jun 2022, 02:20 PM
A video showing an argument between a handicraft vendor and the organiser of a community market has gone viral on Instagram
In the video recorded by a friend of the vendor, the vendor was seen lamenting the alleged mistreatment of her handcrafted items.
Friends of the woman can be heard yelling and asking an employee where the vendor's items have been stored away.
"How did you pack the items? You didn't wrap it safely in bubble wrap, you just shoved it all away, right?" cried the vendor in the video.
Recording of the one-minute viral video ends after the vendor and her friends urged an employee to get her boss to address the situation.
The community market based in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur is called The Pasar KL. The organisation is known to host local vendors every weekend.
Meanwhile, the vendor concerned is a self-taught artist and small business owner who creates her own products from mixed media. She was registered as a vendor at The Pasar KL from 17 to 19 June. The video was recorded on 19 June at the premises.
In the post, the vendor alleged that the market had poor signage and promotion, leading to a lack of customers even though she and other vendors had paid their fees to be there
It is understood that vendors have to pay RM250 for a three-day spot at the premises.
This claim was allegedly backed up by several other business owners from the day, according to the vendor's Instagram stories.
She made a direct complaint to The Pasar KL and they offered her a refund. However, she was still upset as she believes the other vendors should be compensated too.
Following the complaints made on the vendor's public Instagram account, The Pasar KL contacted her to voice their disagreement, claiming that she was slandering their establishment.
The Pasar KL proceeded to bar the vendor from continuing her sale at their establishment on the remaining day and told her to pack up her items by 12pm on Sunday, 19 June.
However, the vendor claimed that when she arrived at the venue before the promised time to clear her work, her items were already gone
According to the handicraft maker, The Pasar KL employees allegedly refused to tell her where her items were stored, leading her to break down in tears as seen in the video. The vendor added that there were also witnesses to this event.
Once her delicate handcraft items were returned, the vendor then claimed that The Pasar KL team had mishandled and damaged her items. She claimed to have suffered about RM1000 in damages and when asked for compensation and her refund, The Pasar KL did not respond.
Following the allegations made by the vendor, The Pasar KL released a statement yesterday, 21 June, to explain their side of the story, asserting that the vendor had made false claims
In a series of Instagram posts, The Pasar Kuala Lumpur said they had made efforts to resolve the issue with the vendor privately after they learnt about her public complaints.
They allegedly offered the vendor a 50% refund and the option to not open her stall on the last day of the contract. A free weekend booth for all vendors involved during 17 to 19 June was also allegedly offered.
However, the vendor was said to have rejected the offer and continued to "attack the event" throughout the evening of 18 June, which went against multiple clauses of the terms and agreements.
This led to the vendor being told to pack up her belongings by 12pm on 19 June. The Pasar KL clarified that the vendor allegedly arrived late, causing them to pack her items on her behalf. They also stated that there were witnesses and security footage to back up this claim.
According to The Pasar KL, when the vendor arrived, she was notified of where her items were stored, but she and her team created a hostile environment where they threatened, verbally abused, and intimidated The Pasar KL team members.
The organisers also said that the vendor's items were only damaged due to her own carelessness. Any claims of them damaging the products were denied.
As of writing, both parties are sticking to their own accounts of the event
The local handicrafts vendor and The Pasar KL have both denied allegations made against each other.
The Pasar KL said they will take legal action against the vendor for defamation. They said all documented proof on their side is being kept private as they are currently discussing the issue with their legal team.
Both parties are still updating their respective social media accounts to prove their side of the story.
