Order delivered to an empty building: Grab can take action against users for misleading information

SINGAPORE: Remember the recent report of a food delivery driver who suspected that he was pranked when he delivered an order to an empty building with the unit locked and when he contacted the customer to inquire, he did not receive any response at all? 

If this was indeed a prank and the customer had given false information, the food delivery platform, Grab, can take actions against it.

To avoid these kinds of incidents, Grab stated in their terms and conditions that their customers need to to provide “true, accurate, not misleading, current and complete information” as required for all of their Services.

By using the platform, the users of Grab agree that the platform may rely on the information that were provided, given that it is “true, accurate, not misleading, current and complete.”

Furthermore, Grab also declared that they have the right but not the obligation to terminate their agreement with their customers anytime with or without notice if needed.

What happened? 

The 34-year-old driver reported to Shin Min Daily News that he received an order at around 4pm last January, and when he delivered it on the pinned address, it was a unit on the fourth floor of Depot Lane Industrial Area in Redhill. 

To his surprise, he discovered that the location was a deserted industrial area, with no one in sight. Moreover, he met an elderly man in the parking lot, who told him that the building had been long abandoned. 

Regardless of his confusion, the driver still went to the fourth floor of the building, only to find out that the unit was locked from the outside, indicating that no one can go in or out. With this, he called the customer several times, but no one answered. 

He also shared that it was the first time in his 10 months as a delivery driver that he experienced this kind of situation. The driver pointed out that if the address was incorrect, the platform would inform the rider, but he did not receive any notification. 

“Sometimes I really don’t know if customers are playing a prank, or what their purpose is in doing it,” he declared. 

To fulfill the order, the driver placed the ordered meal in the hallway near the locked door and sent the delivery photo via the Grab app to complete the delivery process. The driver remarked that the customer ordered using a contactless payment method, meaning the order had been paid in advance, so he did not know whether the customer complained to the platform afterwards. 

Other related news 

In similar news relating to deliveries, there was a report where a deliveryman picked bread and pastries from the floor, placing them back on a tray for delivery. This incident received backlash from the public, raising concerns about food hygiene and safety.

A witness shared that the deliveryman would inspect the fallen boxes only to put them back on the tray. He would put damaged goods on another tray as well. Read more about the news article here.