F&B owner says ‘We’re barely surviving’ after being asked to issue a refund on ban mee & milk tea order that left them with only $9.70

SINGAPORE: The owners of a food business took to social media to air their disappointment when they were left with only $9.70 after receiving instructions from foodpanda to issue a refund on an order worth $84.60.

“It breaks our hearts to admit that running a F&B business is tougher than ever. The rising rental costs and high overheads have taken a toll on us. We put our hearts and souls into our work, but it seems like we’re barely surviving,” the owner, a follower of sgfollowsall’s Instagram account, wrote.

The Independent Singapore has reached out to foodpanda for further comment.

On May 5, the eatery got an order for six sets of ban mee meals plus a milk tea worth $84.60. However, they received a refund instruction that left them with less than ten dollars.

“And the worst part? We weren’t given any photo proof to support the claim. It’s disheartening to see such an unfair refund policy.

Our staff worked diligently to prepare the food and double-checked everything before putting it on the collection table at 11:51 am.”

The foodpanda rider arrived at noon and took the order of milk tea and a packet that contained a few of the ban mee set meals, returning two minutes later to pick up two more packets with the other ban mee meals.

However, on May 9, the eatery received an email from foodpanda that said the order had missing items.

“We’ve been running this business since 2016 and prepare Chilli Ban Mee every single day. It’s highly unlikely that we missed out on any ingredients for our signature dish. We’re also troubled by the fact that there’s no photo or video proof from the customer to support the claim of missing items.”

The owner wrote that they’ve emailed foodpanda and hope that a resolution will be reached soon.

But the owner added that “it’s disheartening to face such challenges while trying to keep our business afloat.

We plead with our customers not to take advantage of the refund policy of food delivery platforms. We put in hours of preparation to make your dishes, and every penny we earn is hard-earned. It may be just a click for you, but for us, it’s our livelihood.”

/TISG

Diner says he’ll never use foodpanda again after he was charged for out of stock food item and yet refused a refund