After experiencing his Grab driver clicking “arrived” despite not reaching the pickup point, a passenger decided to boycott the service altogether.
“Look at this picture. I booked a Grab while standing at the waiting stop. Driver has already clicked ARRIVE when he was still at the side of the road,” said Facebook page Complaint Singapore member Daniel Tan on Tuesday (July 26).
He attached a screenshot showing his location in a yellow circle while the taxi was a street away. Mr Tan also got the notification that his driver had arrived and to be at the pickup point within three minutes to avoid additional waiting charges and cancellation.
“I waited another minute before he arrived. When I got into the vehicle, I asked him why did he state that he had arrived when he had not,” said Mr Tan.
“He said he usually does that when he’s at the bend. I told him that he can’t say ‘usually’ cos now it’s 3 minutes waiting time.”
Mr Tan added that this was his third encounter with Grab drivers clicking “arrived” too early. “Legally cheating. Disgusted. Will not book Grab again.”
On a separate occasion highlighted on social media on July 20, a passenger named Ms Chan called the three-minute grace period “ridiculous.”
She was referring to the recent changes in Grab’s policy, wherein passengers would be charged S$3 beyond three minutes of waiting.
The changes took effect on July 18, and Ms Chan had already experienced an issue with the system.
She noted that some pickup points, such as condominiums, have multiple lobbies, which can cause more delays. Drivers should therefore not press “arrived” at the guardhouse.
“Grab has truly failed its customer base as they don’t allow for notes anymore in pickup 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.” /TISG