Last Updated on 2023-05-16 , 1:24 pm
Addy Lee, one of the former co-founders of Mdada, an e-commerce platform established with other celebrities like actress Michelle Chia, went on a two-hour Facebook rant on 8 May 2023, against Pornsak Prajakwit, who also co-founded the company with him.
In September 2020, the three celebrities set up Mdada to respond to restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic that lessened their gigs and prevented them from pursuing job opportunities abroad.
However, Pornsak announced his abrupt departure from the company in January 2023, citing differences in views on corporate governance and a generation gap between himself and the other two founders.
Additionally, due to health concerns, Lee departed from the company in April 2023.
Although Lee has maintained a good relationship with Michelle, he expressed anger towards Pornsak during his Facebook Live rant.
He accused Pornsak of bullying his assistants as he had made baseless accusations against them, claiming they were stealing funds from the company.
Accused Pornsak of Bullying Staff Members
In the livestream where he made all sorts of animated gestures, Lee accused Pornsak of bullying and defaming his assistants during his time at Mdada.
Lee made it clear that he spoke from his capacity and made sure not to drag his other business partner, Michelle, into the beef.
Initially, he did not mention Pornsak by name, but when people asked for clarification on whether the co-founder he referred to was a male or female, he identified him as the “guilty person”.
Appearing flabbergasted that people would even think he was referring to Michelle, he emphasised that Michelle was “a very good girl” compared to his other business partner, Pornsak.
Lee alleged that Pornsak accused his assistant of embezzling funds as he found out that the assistant had used Lee’s personal credit card.
However, he emphasised that the accusations were not based on facts and that he had permitted the assistant to use his code for purchases related to the official company matters.
Lee claimed that Pornsak disrespected the staff member through his defamatory accusations and that if he had solid proof, he should have called the police.
Instead, Pornsak issued a warning letter to the assistant and forced them to sign it.
Claims That Pornsak Have Not Returned Personal Shares From The Company
Lee also stated that he has legal support in place to counter Pornsak’s allegations when he is ready to respond.
Despite Lee’s online tirade, Pornsak has yet to respond to the accusations as he was reportedly in South Korea according to his Instagram Stories on 9 May 2023.
It was also alleged that Pornsak had been two-faced and had refused to return his company shares, even though he had left the company in January 2023.
Mdada had an unaudited revenue of $15 million in 2021.
Lee claimed he left the company because he did not want to continue earning money for Pornsak, who still held on to the shares.
To substantiate his claims, Lee shared screenshots of text messages he had sent to Pornsak on the issue, which went unanswered, proving that he was being “ghosted” by him.
According to Lee, he had wanted to maintain an amicable relationship with Pornsak and offered to buy back the shares from him.
Still, Pornsak dragged the issue on by ignoring his attempts at contact.
Lee further revealed that, although he may have a bad temper, he is not typically concerned with money.
He cited instances where he had paid for items out of pocket during Mdada’s shopping events, despite not receiving compensation from the company.
He concluded his Facebook Live by asking people to share the video to raise awareness about the company’s situation.
Lee emphasised that he was telling the truth and hoped people could understand the company’s issues more.
Pornsak’s Announcement Gave the Company Its First Taste of Bad Press
In January 2023, when Pornsak announced his departure, he stated that conflicts with fellow co-owners Michelle and Lee were the primary reason.
According to the actor and host, although relatively minuscule, the age gap between him and the other two, with him being 41 and Michelle and Lee being 47 and 51 respectively, was a significant factor in the conflicts.
He mentioned a business trip to Korea in November 2022 as the primary catalyst for his decision to leave as during the trip, he realised that “friendship and professional work were incompatible”.
Therefore, he wanted to leave before their relationship became further strained.
Fast forward to May 2023, Lee claimed in his livestream that Pornsak’s accusations had affected his mental and physical health.
Lee and Michelle were surprised when Pornsak made the above-mentioned claims to AsiaOne as he did not mention any of these grievances in his resignation letter to Mdada.
Moreover, Pornsak insinuated that Mdada was untrustworthy with customers’ orders, but Lee and Michelle disputed this and claimed that the accusations were unfounded.
Furthermore, they claimed that the operational responsibilities were Pornsak’s, so it would have been his fault even if there were any issues with late orders.
Reports of Delayed and Defective Goods
These accusations have since gained some truth with recent reports of multiple customers experiencing delayed orders from Mdada, often waiting long periods only to receive defective goods.
One such case involved Ms X.Y. Wu, a 53-year-old housewife who ordered a Buti Pelletterie bag in February 2023 due to a livestream where one of Mdada’s promoters promised the luxury bag would be delivered in one month’s time
However, she has not received the bag since February 2023, and her inquiries have gone unanswered.
In his live stream, Lee claimed that the shipment of these handbags was delayed as the bags couldn’t be paid for due to Pornsak’s claims of his assistant’s alleged embezzlement.
According to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case), between January 2022 and April 2023, there were 44 similar complaints lodged against Mdada, including late or incomplete deliveries, delays in receiving funds, and incorrect or defective products.
Despite the company’s negative publicity, Lee stated that Mdada would not close.
He also shared that Michelle, now the company’s sole owner, is struggling to cope with the stress of managing everything on her own and is reportedly “crying every night”.
Despite this, Lee claimed that Michelle was unwilling to let go of Mdada or start anew under a different name.
He stressed that Michelle is aware of the complaints and is committed to resolving all outstanding issues and refunding customers within a month.
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