Dubai: Delivery rider returns Dh15,000 to customer who paid extra cash by mistake

Polish expat Kajetan Hubner, who recently moved to Dubai, received a warm welcome and experienced firsthand the remarkable honesty of UAE residents. After accidentally overpaying Dh17,000 for a delivery that only cost Dh1,700, Kajetan received a call from the rider, who alerted him to the error and wanted to return the excess amount.

"I didn't realise that I paid him extra and thought I dropped my cash or lost it," Kajetan said, recalling the incident to Khaleej Times. "He messaged me the following day and said that I had made a mistake and that he would return it to me. I couldn't believe that I got my money back. Since then, I have constantly stayed in touch with him; we are like brothers."

For Noon rider Muhammad Mohsin Nazir, it came as a jolt when he counted the money at the end of his shift. "I kept checking the delivery order and counting the money," he said. "I wondered if my eyes were playing a trick and a zero was missing. I confirmed with my colleagues that I had not made a mistake. Then I wondered whether he had given me a huge tip, but no one tips that much.

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"My mother called me from Pakistan at the time, and I explained my confusion to her. She advised me to contact Kajetan and confirm with him immediately. She told me not to keep a dirham from that money without checking with him.”

Muhammad deposited Dh1,750 with Noon that evening and ensured no cash was missing. The next day, he contacted Kajetan and returned the money.

Delivery gone wrong

Kajetan and his girlfriend stayed in a hotel while house hunting to settle in Dubai Marina. "I wanted to buy an e-scooter to get around the neighbourhood. I browsed on Noon and found a good deal."

As he was new to the emirate, he opted for cash on delivery. “When Muhammad came to deliver, he was very considerate and offered to bring it to my room,” he said. “But I took it from him at the lift and thanked him. I then paid the amount and tipped him before going up to my room."

Kajetan didn’t realise that instead of paying Dh1,750, he accidentally paid Dh17,050. “In Poland, the biggest bill (currency) we have is 500 złoty,” he said. “I thought the notes I had were Dh500 but it was Dh1,000. I handed him the money but noticed he didn’t count it. I thought maybe that is how things are done in Dubai.”

It was only at lunchtime he noticed that his money was missing. Unable to find it, Kajetan and his girlfriend searched the room for two hours. “We had seven suitcases with all our belongings strewn everywhere,” he said. “It was total chaos, and we were trying to find the money. Eventually, I thought that I lost it. I thought it fell out of my pocket when I paid for the delivery. My girlfriend asked me if I had accidentally paid too much, but I was confident I hadn’t.”

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