Foodpanda customer gets full refund for 3-hour-late $18 delivery, says Stomp did 'magic'
A Foodpanda customer was left frustrated after her advanced delivery order arrived nearly three hours late.
Stomper Serene said she placed the order on Jan 19 at about 4pm for delivery at 6.15pm.
"Shortly before the scheduled time, the app showed that although the rider had picked up my order, he would be making several other deliveries first," she said.
After contacting Foodpanda's help centre, Serene was apparently informed that the estimated delivery time had been pushed back to after 8pm.
She said she attempted to contact the rider through the app to check on the order's status.
"Responses were delayed and limited, with no clear indication of when the food would arrive, adding to the uncertainty," she added.
Serene said that had she known earlier that the delivery would be delayed by almost two hours, she would have cancelled the order much sooner.
"When I requested a cancellation and refund, I was told this was not possible as the order had already been picked up.
"Instead, I was issued a $4 voucher with usage conditions, despite having paid about $18 and not receiving any food," she said.
According to Serene, the rider eventually arrived close to 9pm, by which time she had already cancelled the order and made alternative dinner arrangements.
She also said there was no clear way in the app to provide feedback or continue the discussion after the incident.
"Advanced orders are meant to provide certainty and convenience. When delivery timings change so drastically, consumers should be promptly informed and given a fair option to cancel with a full refund.
"Conditional vouchers are poor substitutes for meals not received due to delays beyond the customer's control.
"I hope the delivery platforms will review how advanced orders are managed, communicated and resolved, so that consumers are treated more transparently and fairly," said Serene.
In response to a Stomp query on Feb 2, a Foodpanda spokesperson said: "We have gotten in touch with the customer to resolve the matter, and a full refund has been processed."
Serene later confirmed she received an email from Foodpanda on the same day.
She told Stomp: "Omg! I received an email from Foodpanda. They're compensating me in full!
"What magic have you all done? 😘"
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