Customer's order not processed despite being 'confirmed', caterer says AI ordering platform in 'testing phase'
A catering company has apologised after a customer's online order was not processed as the company's AI ordering platform was still in its testing phase.
Stomper WE was a returning customer, having ordered food from Bijan Catering the year before.
This year, the order was submitted on Aug 21.
The confirmation message from Bijan read: "Your order is now complete and confirmed for Sept 8, 2025, at 8am delivery. We have all the details including the menu for 110 (75 halal, 35 non-halal) and the delivery address. You're all set."
But when the Stomper checked on the order on the morning of delivery, Bijan responded "I don't have any saved order details for you. It seems there might be some confusion. Could you please provide your order confirmation number or details so I can help with your delivery information?"
The Stomper sent the requested details only to get the same message again.
"Despite submitting my order through the system, I was informed that the order had not been taken," said the Stomper.
"The explanation provided was that Bijan Catering requires an invoice to be issued two days in advance for payment. However, this crucial requirement was never made clear during the ordering process, which caused significant inconvenience and disruption on my end."
The Stomper tried calling Bijan to no avail.
"This lack of responsiveness left me without any support or clarification at a critical moment," said the Stomper, who turned to another company.
"Fortunately, thanks to the support of D'Rubinah's management, who accepted and fulfilled my urgent last-minute order, the situation was salvaged.
"Kudos to D'Rubinah for their professionalism and reliability in such circumstances. If not, all my 110 workers would have no food."
The Stomper also wrote to Bijan: "What is most concerning is that Bijan Catering maintains it is not at fault, despite the failure of your AI platform to manage orders reliably.
"If your team cannot effectively manage such a system, it should not be offered as an ordering channel to customers. This experience has damaged my confidence in your services."
In response to a Stomp query, a spokesperson for Bijan Catering said: "First and foremost, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration the customer encountered. We fully understand how vital clear communication and reliable service are, especially when placing catering orders for important events.
"At the time the order was submitted, our AI ordering platform was still in its testing phase and was not yet fully integrated with our backend ordering and payment systems.
"During this testing period, while the chatbot was able to collect preliminary order details from customers, it was not connected to our internal order processing system and therefore could not generate official order confirmations, issue invoices, or collect payments.
"Importantly, no payment was collected from the customer during this interaction. The AI system was not equipped to process payments or request payment information, which should have served as an indicator that the order was not officially confirmed.
"We acknowledge that this technical limitation was not adequately communicated to users during the testing phase, which understandably led to confusion and frustration."
The company is expediting the full integration of its AI platform with its ordering and payment systems.
Regarding the Stomper being unable to contact the company, the spokesperson said: "We regret to hear about the inconvenience the customer experienced in reaching out to us.
"Upon checking, we were unable to trace any calls or messages to our catering sales lines prior to the day the complaint was raised. Our lines are usually attended to during operating hours, and it is our standard practice to return any missed calls within the same day.
"We sincerely apologise if this was not reflected in the customer's experience and will continue to uphold our commitment to being responsive and accessible to our customers."
The spokesperson added: "As a gesture of goodwill and to thank the customer for their patience during our system development phase, we would like to offer them a $50 catering voucher, which can be redeemed for any future order.
"We hope this demonstrates our commitment to making things right and our confidence in the improved service we will provide."
