Grab delivery rider says user’s KFC order ‘too large’, allegedly demands $10 fee and asks to cancel if unable to tip
A Grab delivery rider allegedly demanded a $10 tip for a $130 fried chicken order he described as “too large”, telling the customer to cancel and find another driver if they refused to pay.
Ms Li (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News that she had ordered 10 sets of KFC fried chicken on April 21 from food delivery platform Grab, amounting to $133.50.
“My friend’s company was having a lunch gathering, so I ordered on his behalf. I left a note for the driver, stating he should call my friend after delivering the food,” the 29-year-old admin assistant said.
As Ms Li was a frequent user of Grab, she did not check her application after seeing the order had been assigned a rider.
“At that time, the estimated delivery time was between 11am and 11.30am. At 11.20am, my friend said the delivery rider sent him a message asking for a tip, and I realised later that the rider had also sent the same request to me on Grab.”
A screenshot of the exchange shows the delivery rider asking for cash or tips, saying Ms Li’s order was “too large”. If Ms Li’s friend was unable to provide the tip, the rider advised him to cancel the order, so another delivery rider can be assigned to the delivery.
When Ms Li’s friend asked how much the rider wanted, he asked for $10. It was only after he agreed that the rider confirmed he was on his way.
Rider only moved when friend agreed to tip
As it was getting late and the delivery rider was already making his way towards the company, Ms Li’s friend decided to pay the tip to not cause further delays.
“When I checked my application, I noticed the rider was already near my friend’s company but hadn’t moved. He only continued towards the delivery location after my friend agreed to give him a tip,” Ms Li said.
The admin assistant said it felt like the rider was “threatening” them, using their ordered meal as leverage to obtain additional cash.
“When the rider reached the location, he only left when my friend gave him the $10 tip. The food was delivered after 11.40am, later than the estimated delivery time.”
While Ms Li said she understood that delivery riders worked hard and did not mind giving tips, she felt that the rider in this incident was acting inappropriately.
She has since lodged a report with Grab, hoping to obtain a clear explanation.
“I will continue to use Grab,” Ms Li clarified. “If the driver asks nicely for a tip or explains the difficulties they are encountering, I am willing to give a small fee.”
Overly large orders should be cancelled: Delivery rider
Another delivery rider, Mr Zheng (transliteration), told Shin Min that riders do not typically request a tip from customers. “If customers lodge a report against us, we might not be able to use the platform. This sort of behaviour is shooting yourself in the foot.”
The 46-year-old added that if a driver has the auto-accept feature turned on — which automatically accepts incoming orders — and receives an order that is too large, they will have to cancel it.
“If the order is too large, it cannot fit the bicycle or electric bicycle the rider is using, so the rider has to cancel the order. However, this will affect their rating on the app.”
Stomp has reached out to Grab for comment.
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