Woman Shocked After Royal Mail Delivers Empty Box Instead of McDonald’s Monopoly Prize
SOCIAL TRENDS — What was supposed to be a joyful surprise for a McDonald’s Monopoly winner turned into a disappointing mystery when her prize arrived as nothing more than a crushed cardboard box. Chloe McClure had been thrilled to learn she’d finally won something through McDonald’s popular Monopoly promotion — a limited-edition McDonald’s Monopoly board game, a collectible item currently listed online for over £100. But instead of receiving her long-awaited reward, McClure opened her mail to find a torn, empty box sealed in a Royal Mail “damage bag.”
A Long-Awaited Prize Turns Into Frustration
McClure, who said she doesn’t often buy McDonald’s meals, told followers on TikTok that this was the first time she had ever won a prize — and that made the experience even more upsetting. She recorded a short video titled, “Hi Royal Mail, is this a joke?” showing the ripped packaging and the apology message attached. The note from Royal Mail read: “We’re very sorry the enclosed item has reached you in this condition.” It added that customers could file a claim if contents were missing or damaged. McClure joked online that “someone at Royal Mail clearly wanted my McDonald’s Monopoly game too,” but later admitted she was genuinely disappointed. “They’re lucky it’s funny — if I had paid for it, I’d be furious,” she wrote in a follow-up comment.
Social Media Reaction and Viral Response
The TikTok video quickly went viral, amassing more than 440,000 views within days. Users flooded her comment section with sympathy — and their own stories of damaged parcels. One viewer remarked, “Everything is missing, what do you mean ‘if anything is missing’?” Another wrote, “Even when people win, they don’t win.” A postal worker even chimed in, saying, “We still have to deliver items like that. It’s embarrassing, but we do as told.” The viral attention turned McClure’s personal disappointment into a wider conversation about delivery service reliability and how rare collectibles are handled in the mail.
Royal Mail Responds to the Incident
Following public reaction, Royal Mail issued an apology and encouraged McClure to contact them directly using the details printed on the package. A spokesperson told the Mirror that incidents like this are rare but can occur due to machinery or manual handling damage: “Items pass through a large, complex network, and on rare occasions, a letter or packet may be caught in sorting machinery. When this happens, we deliver it in a protective ‘damage bag’ with instructions on how to report the issue.” McClure also emailed McDonald’s hoping the fast-food chain would “take pity” and send her a replacement. As of now, she is still waiting for a resolution.
Royal Mail’s apology didn’t completely ease McClure’s frustration, but the story struck a chord with thousands who have experienced similar disappointments — proving how even small prizes can bring big excitement, and sometimes, even bigger letdowns.
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