Stories of customers canceling on their food delivery orders and what happens after have prompted some Filipinos to call for the removal of the “cancel” option in such apps.
One of the latest stories shared on social media talks about a particular GrabFood rider who got canceled on after he already bought the customer’s order from a particular milk tea franchise.
To compensate, his fellow riders located in the same area gave him P20 each since ordered food can no longer be returned, as is the policy in all restaurants and dining places.
The story prompted a Twitter user to discourage customers from canceling their orders whenever they would order food through such apps.
May dumating na grab food rider sa smoking spot ko sa Eloisa. Na-cancelan siya ng booking pero nabili niya na ‘yung order na dalawang Chatime milktea sa SM San Lazaro. Without thinking twice, nag-ambagan lahat ng riders ng tig-20 pesos para macompensate ‘yung sayang na order.
— Karch #LabanBayan #LabanKabataan (@karchrafael) May 19, 2019
Kaya sa mga magbobook, fix your indecisive asses!!!
— Karch #LabanBayan #LabanKabataan (@karchrafael) May 19, 2019
Another social media user shared that her husband encountered a rider from the app-based food delivery service whose order got canceled by a user as well.
“May naka-park na GrabFood delivery sa labas ng bahay namin. Narinig niya (husband) na nag-cancel ang buyer at namomoblema siya (rider) sa inorder na milk tea. Kaya nilapitan niya (husband) at binili na lang ‘yung milk tea,” part of the post reads.
Similar to the Twitter user, the Facebook user appealed for Filipinos to stop canceling their orders through such services if they do not intend to continue their respective transactions.
“So sa lahat ng mga nag-ca-cancel ng order, puwede ba! Please naman, ‘wag na kayong o-order tapos hindi niyo itutuloy ang transaction niyo! Nakakaawa (ang) mga rider!” she continued.
Be responsible users
GrabFood, for its part, said that they are aware of such instances and urged users to use the app responsibly.
“We would like to appeal to our customers to use GrabFood responsibly — be mindful of orders placed and the effort that our delivery-partners put in to deliver your orders,” the company said in a statement.
It added that users may have their accounts penalized for such actions.
“Customers with excessive no-show behavior may face account penalties, including possible suspension. Orders should no longer be canceled once the driver has placed the order,” GrabFood continued.
It also reassured the public that delivery-partners are always fully reimbursed for unclaimed orders.
Popularity of food delivery apps
Food delivery service through apps is deemed to be more convenient than traditional deliveries via phone calls for several reasons.
For one, it offers the customer more variety when it comes to choices since the app already consolidates different restaurants and dining places that can easily deliver food in a single interface.
People can order any type of cuisine they want, whether it be of Filipino, Western or European variety.
It is also convenient since the customer can simply have his choice of food delivered through simple clicks or with taps of a smartphone instead of being obliged to call a representative to place an order.
Further, app-based food delivery services have special promos and discounts that users can avail anytime.
This is particularly useful to those who want to save or foodies who want to score deals.
“Changing lifestyle trends have driven the popularity of food delivery services over the past five years. With increasingly busy lifestyles, food delivery services offer a way for consumers to save time,” senior industry analyst Bao Vuong observed.
“Time-poor consumers are increasingly using food delivery services as an alternative to dining out,” he added.
