A woman in Taiwan has been accused of stealing a Lexus-branded umbrella after allegedly mistaking it for her Toyota umbrella at a hotpot restaurant. Now, the owner of the Lexus-branded brolly is demanding NT$9,000 (approximately S$370) in compensation.

That's quite the expensive mix-up, considering we're talking about umbrellas here.

According to Taiwanese broadcaster EBC News, the woman, surnamed Hsieh, had gone for a meal at a hotpot restaurant with her son.

Before entering, her son placed their light-coloured Toyota umbrella in the restaurant's umbrella stand.

But when they finished eating, he apparently picked up a different umbrella. A black one.

The pair were captured on CCTV discussing the umbrella before Ms Hsieh examined its logo and left with her son.

Hsieh says she actually noticed that the umbrella had a Lexus logo but didn’t think too much about it.

"I did notice the Lexus logo at the time, but I thought Toyota and Lexus belonged to the same company, so I assumed it was the umbrella that a salesperson had given me," she explained.

Well, she's not wrong about the two brands being related. Lexus is Toyota's luxury vehicle brand, after all.

Hsieh explained: "We had never used the new umbrella before, so we weren't very familiar with what it looked like."

It wasn't until about a week later that she realised the mix-up had become a much bigger problem.

"A week later, when I returned to Taiwan, I received a call from the police station saying that someone had accused me of theft," she recalled.

Wait. A police report? Over an umbrella?

The Lexus umbrella belonged to a man surnamed Cheng.

And unlike Hsieh, he doesn't believe the incident was an innocent mistake as the two umbrellas looked nothing alike.

His was black with a straight handle and a Lexus logo, while hers was light-coloured with a curved handle and a Toyota logo.

"It was deliberate. The two umbrellas were completely different. And she even took the time to check it. It's not as though she just grabbed an umbrella in a hurry and left," he said.

CCTV footage also showed Ms Hsieh's son lingering near the umbrella stand after picking up the umbrella.

However, the footage alone does not establish whether the pair deliberately took someone else's property.

According to EBC News, Cheng demanded NT$9,000 (S$370) from Hsieh.

But before you start wondering whether Lexus has somehow entered the luxury umbrella market, here's how he arrived at that figure.

The amount reportedly includes NT$1,000 (S$41) for transport expenses incurred over six trips to the police station and mediation sessions. Another NT$8,000 (S$329) in revenue he claims to have lost after closing his pet grooming business for a day to deal with the dispute.

Hsieh, unsurprisingly, doesn't think she should have to pay.

"I don't think that's reasonable. I simply took the wrong umbrella by mistake. He can't just close his shop because he needs to give a police statement and then make me pay for his lost business," she argued.

Cheng, however, defended his calculation.

"I've already simplified the calculation and am only asking for around NT$8,000 (S$329). My shop makes at least NT$7,000 to NT$8,000 in revenue every day," he said.

The two parties clearly have very different ideas about what constitutes reasonable compensation.

According to Cheng, the dispute also affected a business he had previously owned.

He claimed Hsieh discussed the incident online and revealed the address of his former pet grooming shop.

Although he had already transferred ownership of the business, the new owner allegedly received one-star reviews as a result.

Ms Hsieh denied intending to cause any trouble.

"When my friends asked me about it, I just told them the place was on Daren Street. I didn't know it would affect the other party," she explained.

Cheng, however, said he was concerned about the impact on the new business owner.

"What I've been worried about all along is that this incident would affect the new shop that took over my business. Throughout the entire process, she never once said she was sorry or apologised. Theft is a crime," he said.

Despite Hsieh insisting that she took the umbrella by mistake, Mr Cheng remains convinced it was deliberate.

He has also refused to reduce his compensation demand, according to EBC News.

The two are now reportedly preparing to take their dispute to court.

Photos: EBC News, Mediacorp AI Audio & Visuals