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Could SingPost’s Parcelgate scandal underscore the ‘better for cheaper’ race in e-commerce?

There has been intense focus among e-commerce platforms on improving customer experience and costs, especially with delivery

Benjamin Cher
Published Tue, Dec 31, 2024 · 12:00 PM
    • The competition among e-commerce platforms might have driven SingPost employees to bypass internal controls in order to avoid being penalised.
    • The competition among e-commerce platforms might have driven SingPost employees to bypass internal controls in order to avoid being penalised. PHOTO: BT FILE

    JUST days before Christmas, three Singapore Post (SingPost) executives got a rude shock when they were unceremoniously fired by the board for being “grossly negligent” in their handling of a whistle-blower report.

    The three former key management executives – group chief executive Vincent Phang, group chief financial officer Vincent Yik, and chief executive of its international business unit Li Yu – were not directly involved in the allegations raised.

    However, investigations revealed that three managers in SingPost’s international e-commerce logistics parcels business had manually updated or approved “delivery failure” (DF) status codes for parcels the group had agreed to deliver for one of its largest customers – without supporting documents or delivery attempts.

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