A video of SiCepat courier threatened by a customer with a sword recently went viral on Twitter. The courier recorded the video while he was delivering a package with cash-on-delivery (COD) transaction to a customer in South Tangerang. The recipient of the package in the video was upset when he received an empty package instead of a watch he ordered.

“I told you, if you are not sure, it’s better that you don’t pay and don’t take the package,” the courier was heard saying. However, the recipient insisted of getting his money back that he took out a katana sword.

After the unfortunate incident, SiCepat responded with a legal action and denied mediating with the customer. The suspect, MDS, is accused of committing extortion with threats as regulated in Article 368 of the Criminal Code in conjunction with Article 2 Paragraph 1 of the Emergency Law Year 2012.

“We also support investigators to investigate and legally process the online shop that is suspected of providing the inappropriate item ordered by the perpetrator,” said Wardaniman Larosa, legal team of SiCepat. The legal team has also identified the online shop to be the cause of the problem as they failed to provide the right item purchased by the customer.

Larosa also confirmed that the courier, RK, is traumatised by the event, even though he is physically unharmed. It is also the reason why they opted to file lawsuits to avoid worsening RK’s trauma.

RK is not the first courier who was abused by the COD system. Last February, a recipient refused to pay after opening a package. Earlier this month, another recipient threatened another courier with a gun over a wrong package. Two weeks ago, an elderly lady refused to pay after opening a package and cursed at the courier.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), COD payment method in 2020 made up 73% of e-commerce transactions. Data also shows that only 29% of the population have bank accounts. Therefore, it contributes to the use of COD payment method.

This situation shows a big gap in understanding the terms and conditions of COD payment method among e-commerce users. This situation also puts the couriers in a difficult position as they are prone to harassment from recipients. It raises discussions on COD payment method and the effectiveness among netizens as well.