If there’s one instance of celebrity drama that both you and your parents can both enjoy, it’s the current drama regarding Mdada.
Mdada, a live stream and e-commerce platform, was set up by local celebrities Pornsak Prajakwit, Michelle Chia, and Addy Lee in September 2020.
And for those living under a rock, Pornsak is an actor-host, Chia used to be a full-time Mediacorp actress, and Lee is a Malaysia-born celebrity hairstylist.
However, despite starting out as one of the fastest-growing live stream e-commerce platforms after making $3.9 million in sales within two months, the company has been embroiled in multiple controversies regarding the three founders and complaints from customers.
But if you’re too lazy to fish out all the different articles and sources to find out what exactly happened, we’ve got you covered with a timeline of all the Mdada scandals and controversies in chronological order.
2021 – Present: Customers’ Complaints About Not Receiving Products
In December 2021, issues regarding Mdada not delivering customers’ products first came to light after two customers contacted Shin Min Daily News to share their experience.
The customers, who had purchased luxury items like branded bags, clothes and shoes, did not receive their items after waiting for more than two months.
One of the customers received a refund 11 days after requesting it; the other was denied one.
Eventually, Pornsak and Lee apologised for the delay in delivery through a live stream in January 2022.
However, the delays continued to occur, which eventually led to 44 complaints being filed against Mdada with the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) between 1 January 2022 and 30 April 2023.
Out of those customers, one who spoke to The Straits Times revealed how she was told that the delivery for a leather bag she ordered in February would take one month.
However, as of yesterday (9 May), the bag has yet to be delivered to her.
Another bag she ordered in January just arrived last week and was of less-than-ideal quality as well.
She added that her enquiries about the delivery delays were not addressed by the company.
Apart from that, CASE told The Straits Times that other customers also complained about similar issues.
Other than not delivering their goods on time, delaying refunds and sending customers defective or incorrect products, some customers received incomplete deliveries for their orders as well.
Such problems were also raised in a Telegram group chat meant for Mdada’s customer queries.
Regarding this, co-founder Chia responded through email by saying that Mdada is looking to settle all outstanding orders by June this year.
This would include all customers’ refunds as well.
She added that the delay in shipping processes was caused mainly by supply-chain issues and shipment clearance as the company’s manufacturers and suppliers were trying to adapt to pre-pandemic order levels.
December 2021 – January 2022: Company Suffered Losses in Europe
Apart from being unable to fulfil customers’ orders on time, Mdada also allegedly suffered losses after venturing into the European market.
Lee revealed the company’s losses through a live stream on 30 December 2021, citing logistical and travel issues for these losses.
According to Lee, these issues mainly arose due to the COVID-19 situation in Europe.
This announcement also came after previous reports that the company had sold 10,000 products within 16 days in Germany.
January 2023: Pornsak Left Mdada, Chia and Lee Unhappy With What He Implied in Statements
However, despite the constant stream of customer complaints, the first “main” event that thrust MDada’s controversies under the spotlight was Thai-Chinese TV personality Pornsak’s departure from the company.
At the start of January this year, Pornsak announced that he was leaving Mdada through his Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
Pornsak, who used to be the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), mainly said that he wanted to expand his horizons and become a better live streamer with “a personal touch”.
However, he told AsiaOne that he had chosen to leave due to “differences” between him and his other two co-founders.
He even brought up the issue of a generation gap, which might have sounded more believable if he wasn’t just six years younger than Chia and ten years younger than Lee.
In response, Mdada uploaded a statement denouncing Pornsak’s remarks as “wholly untrue and baseless”.
View this post on Instagram
After Mdada’s accusations, Pornsak responded again by clarifying that Chia and Lee had “misunderstood” his statements.
He explained that he did not mean to provoke anyone through his comments.
Apart from that, he highlighted that he chose to leave the company for “future developments” and not because of his experience working with Chia and Lee.
1 April 2023: Lee Left Mdada
Just three months after Pornsak’s drama-filled exit from Mdada, hairstylist Lee also took to social media to announce his departure.
As they say, when it rains, it pours.
Unlike Pornsak, however, Lee’s choice to leave was influenced by his health issues.
Previously, he had shared his recovery journey on Instagram after going through surgery for a cervical spine injury in February.
He also posted about undergoing another surgery on 10 March but did not reveal what the surgery was for.
Thereafter, he claimed that he was hospitalised four times within a month and had to go through three surgeries in total.
Ultimately, he announced on 1 April (yes, April Fool’s Day) that he had left Mdada on 17 March to take care of his health, leaving Chia as the sole co-founder of the company left running it.
View this post on Instagram
However, Chia told The Straits Times afterwards that Lee’s departure was only temporary as he had taken a leave of absence.
She added that Mdada is eagerly anticipating his return to the company in the near future.
9 May 2023: Lee Attacked Pornsak in a Livestream; Claimed that Pornsak Bullied Employees and Still Holds Onto Shares
Most recently, Lee held a live stream on Monday (8 May) night to spill the beans regarding Pornsak’s alleged actions during the latter’s time at Mdada.
Prior to the live stream, he also uploaded a post on Facebook which hinted that he was going to “seek justice” for an employee that Pornsak had allegedly mistreated.
During the two-hour-long live stream, he spoke about the issue and said that Pornsak had bullied and defamed a staff member.
The staff member, who happened to be Lee’s assistant, was apparently accused by Pornsak of embezzling funds through Lee’s personal credit card.
Thereafter, Pornsak allegedly forced the staff members to sign a “warning letter” of sorts.
Lee, who highlighted that Pornsak had no solid evidence to back up his claim, said that Pornsak should have filed a police report directly if he was confident that his accusation was supported by true facts.
Throughout the heated live stream, he called Pornsak two-faced and a “smiling tiger” multiple times.
He even challenged Pornsak by saying that he was ready to face the latter’s lawyers.
Beyond the issue with Mdada’s employee, Lee also called Pornsak out for holding onto his company shares even after leaving the company in January this year.
With screenshots of his messages sent to Pornsak in tow, Lee claimed that he tried to buy Pornsak’s shares from him to maintain an “amicable” relationship, but Pornsak did not respond to his messages.
Lee even said that he had left Mdada because he “did not want to continue earning money for Pornsak” since Pornsak is still in possession of the shares.
Pornsak, who is currently in South Korea according to his Instagram stories yesterday (9 May), has yet to respond to the live stream.
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Interestingly, Lee did not mention Pornsak’s name during the live stream but instead referred to him as “[Lee’s] ex-CEO”.
However, in response to comments asking if he was talking about the man or woman (Pornsak or Chia), he said, ” Of course I’m talking about the man. Michelle is a very good girl.”
On that note, it seems like Lee’s relationship with Chia has not been affected by his exit from Mdada.
He even spoke up for her and said that she has been extremely stressed by having to settle all of the company’s issues by herself.
Despite that, he added that Chia still intends to continue running the company as it is without any form of regrouping.
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