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Man wins iPhone at company party, finds tiles and chocolates inside instead, demands apology
The employee takes home a supposed iPhone from the company party, only to find tiles and sweets inside.
A man in China thought he had struck gold at his company’s year-end party, only to discover his “grand prize” was a box full of tiles and sweets.
Jiang Jiang, an employee at a hospital in Guangdong province, was announced the winner of the top prize, an iPhone 17 Pro Max.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post, the announcement was very exciting. It included a receipt showing the phone cost 9,988 yuan (about US$1,450) and a branded shopping bag. Jiang was so happy that he wanted to surprise his wife with the gift at home.
“I really thought I was the lucky winner,” Jiang said in a video he posted online. “Everyone at the party believed I had won a real iPhone.”
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Box of sweets and tiles:
However, his excitement quickly turned to shock. When Jiang opened the box at home, he found not the sleek new phone he had imagined, but two chocolates, three lollipops, and some tiles.
The hospital’s management had not approved the purchase of an actual iPhone, and the prank was reportedly organised by Jiang’s team manager. The second prize at the party was a pillow.
“I expected the year to start on a lucky note, but instead my company turned the party into an April Fools’ joke,” Jiang said. He demanded a public apology from the person responsible for the prank, though he stressed he did not actually need the phone.
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Social media reacts:
The story has struck a chord online, with many social media users sympathising with Jiang.
One person said their company’s top prize was a one-on-one meeting with the boss, while another described receiving their employer’s autograph or a photograph with the manager as a reward.
“This shows how some companies disrespect their staff and fail to reward hard work properly,” one user wrote.
A second user commented, “These prizes only show that the companies disrespect their employees and are poor.”
“A year-end party should be a celebration of employees, not a chance to play jokes or flatter the boss,” another added.
For Jiang, the experience was a rollercoaster of emotions, from joy to disbelief, all over a box that looked like it contained a dream prize.
