A US tourist has come under fire from Malaysian netizens after allegedly reducing an agreed RM50 payment to RM20 for a Grab driver who returned his expensive camera left behind in the vehicle.
The tourist, identified as Mackey Edwin, had reportedly booked a Grab ride in Kuala Lumpur to visit Thean Hou Temple in Seputeh when he accidentally left his camera, said to be worth US$5,500 (about RM22,303), in the vehicle.
According to posts circulating on social media, Edwin eventually managed to contact the driver after several attempts. The driver reportedly confirmed that the camera was still inside the vehicle and agreed to turn back to return it.
A RM50 payment was allegedly agreed upon to compensate the driver for making the trip back with the forgotten camera.
However, when the camera was returned, Edwin allegedly objected to the RM50 amount and offered RM20 instead, reportedly arguing that the original Grab fare had been much lower.
Edwin later claimed on social media that the Grab driver had threatened and manhandled him. He has since lodged a police report over the incident.
The incident has nevertheless sparked a wave of criticism online, with many Malaysians siding with the Grab driver and questioning why the agreed RM50 payment was allegedly reduced after the camera had been safely returned.
One Threads user pointed out that RM50 was a relatively small amount compared with the reported value of the camera, arguing that the driver had gone out of his way to return property that Edwin had accidentally left behind.
Others said Edwin should have been grateful that the expensive camera was recovered instead of disputing the agreed payment.
Some commenters also questioned why the driver should have been expected to make a detour to return the camera when the mistake was allegedly the tourist’s own.
The criticism centred largely on the fact that the RM50 fee had reportedly been agreed beforehand, with netizens arguing that changing the amount only after the camera was returned was unfair to the driver.
Several users also pointed out that returning the camera was not part of the driver’s ordinary responsibility and said the tourist could instead have arranged for the item to be collected through the police or Grab.
The controversy has since prompted wider discussions about courtesy and etiquette when tourists interact with local service workers, with some Malaysians saying visitors should show greater appreciation when locals go out of their way to help.
However, the claims made by both parties and the circumstances surrounding the alleged confrontation have not been independently verified.
