After experiencing a Grab driver pressing “arrived” at the pick-up point despite still making a turn to reach his passenger, a member of the public went to social media to express that Grab has “truly failed its customer base.”
“This is why three minutes for Grab is ridiculous,” wrote Facebook page Complaint Singapore member Althea Chan on July 20.
She was referring to the recent changes in Grab’s policy wherein passengers would be charged S$3 beyond three minutes of waiting.
“You are encouraged to book rides only when ready to ensure you have ample time to reach your pick-up point. Thank you for your understanding,” said Grab in a notification to users.
The changes took effect on July 18, and Ms Chan had already experienced an issue with the system.
She booked a ride with a pick-up point at Anchorpoint. She shared a screenshot of an automated message received when the driver pressed the “arrived” button.
Ms Chan was reminded to be at the pick-up point within three minutes to avoid additional waiting charges and cancellation.
She then replied, “can you turn faster… Grab is only giving me 3 mins lol,” to the message because the driver hadn’t arrived.
Ms Chan explained that there could be obstructions and delays in the area, such as deliveries to nearby food establishments happening at the driveway.
“Not to mention an incident whereby my entire family had walked out to the guardhouse of the condo complex, and we caught the driver pressing ‘arrived’ at the guardhouse.”
“By right, he still needs to drive into the complex to pick us up,” she noted. Ms Chan added that some condominiums have multiple lobbies, which can cause more delays.
“Grab has truly failed its customer base as they don’t allow for notes anymore in pick-up orders and drivers have no inkling of which lobby to go to, often showing up at the wrong lobby etc.,” said the concerned individual.
Ms Chan added that the drivers aren’t to be blamed because they couldn’t always check their phones or answer a passenger’s call for safety purposes.
“All blame should go to Grab and Grab only,” said Ms Chan.
Netizens agreed that the grace period adjustment was a “bad idea” as it would result in even more work for the company’s support team.
One Intan Zakiah Suparman said it took the driver 15 minutes to reach the pick-up point despite the app indicating an eight-minute waiting time.
Meanwhile, Facebook user Bernard Lee wondered if setting up designated pick-up points for Grab passengers would address the issue.
“Passengers will have to walk to the pick-up points instead of drivers having to drive to the exact block in the carpark or even the basement of the condo? Like that will be fair to both parties, especially when it rains!”/TISG