Singapore – A food delivery rider took to Facebook to share his Mother’s Day woes after receiving a scolding from a customer for a late delivery.
On Monday (May 11), food delivery rider Shanon Tam shared his plight with one order that caused much stress to the essential worker. “Yesterday was a hectic day for everyone since it was Mother’s Day,” began Mr Tam. “As a food delivery rider, we totally understand the sudden massive burst of orders.” He advised restaurants to not accept too many orders as drivers are collecting multiple orders, and a delay in one would have a ripple effect on the rest.
Mr Tam explained that he was scheduled to collect his order at 11:20 am but upon arrival, saw that there was a queue of drivers waiting for their pick up.
He added that some orders were recalled due to mistakes on the restaurant’s side, such as forgetting to pack one or two items. “Others had been waiting for an hour or so,” said Mr Tam, who had a chat with fellow food delivery riders.
It was protocol for Mr Tam to message his customer in case there was a delay with an order, which he did and included a screenshot of his update. “This is driver collecting your delivery from Uncle Leong just to inform you that your order still preparing and will be late sorry,” read the message sent at 11:33 am.
Upon arrival at the customer’s residence, Mr Tam was first greeted with a guy smiling, presumably the son of the mother who greeted him with a scolding.
He tried explaining that the delay was caused by the restaurant, which failed to prepare the order on time. “The mother ratted at me further that she had called the restaurant and they had the cheek to tell her they have prepared the order and gave it to me by 11:30 am!” said Mr Tam.
He didn’t argue with the family because the son apologised for the situation and even told Mr Tam to “ignore his mother.” He thanked the gentleman who greeted him at the door for his understanding.
Mr Tam directed his concerns toward the restaurant. “If you can’t handle the order, drivers will try to wait for you but do have the decency to admit your mistake when a customer calls,” he said. To the “hungry and angry” auntie, he asked for a little consideration. “Just because you are staying in a condo and I’m only a delivery boy doesn’t give you the right to shout at me.” He admitted that he too wanted to spend Mother’s Day at home with his wife and daughter.
Netizens expressed their sympathy toward Mr Tam and his experience, adding that those who could not wait patiently for a food delivery order should just cook at home.
Many also advised him to forget about the “unreasonable lady” and to “stay strong and happy always.”
Molly Tan noted that such posts could help make people more aware of the situation faced by food delivery riders.
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