A p-hailing app glitch made drugstore items appear free, sparking chaos, viral posts, and public backlash online
A technical glitch in a popular p-hailing app last night caused chaos both online and offline.
According to multiple posts on Threads, the app experienced an unexpected error involving a well-known local drugstore, listing its products at RM0.00, effectively making them appear “free.”
This led to some users spreading the news across social media, making it viral and triggering a rush of orders.
A screenshot circulating online showed a customer purchasing more than RM1,000 worth of products for just RM11.10, covering only delivery and packaging fees.
As mass orders poured in, p-hailing riders swarmed several outlets of the affected health and beauty retailer, creating scenes of disorder and even causing traffic congestion in some areas.
In response to the confusion, many riders were forced to cancel deliveries, while the retailer took its stores offline in the app to manage the situation after confirming the technical glitch.
Meanwhile, netizens criticised those who exploited the issue.
Denna Ahmad commented that those who did so had “zero conscience.”
“You took advantage of a glitch and claimed there was nothing wrong with it. This doesn’t apply to those who genuinely thought the items were free. I’m referring to those who were aware and proudly shared their ‘achievement’ online. You have no shame,” she said.
Others echoed her sentiment, condemning users who made the incident viral and encouraged more people to participate in what they called “seamless theft.”
“Even if the system glitches, they shouldn’t make it viral like that. People are taking advantage, not realising that fixing such issues and redeploying the system takes time,” another user commented.
A third user added that bragging about exploiting a glitch shows a complete lack of integrity.
“It’s one thing to make an honest mistake, but doing it knowingly and celebrating it online? That’s just being opportunistic at the expense of others,” the user said.
