'Food prepared but not delivered': Man orders pizza from Domino's at 6pm, finds it outside flat only at midnight
[UPDATED Jan 26, 8.05pm]
In response to AsiaOne's queries, Domino's Pizza Singapore said they have looked into this incident and verified that their delivery rider had knocked on the door and called the customer at 6.46pm.
"The rider did not receive a response and proceeded to leave the pizzas at the door at 6.47pm. However, we understand the customer's frustration for not receiving the pizzas in person and we have been trying to reach out to Mr. Muhammad Raihan to convey our apologies," said a Domino's spokesperson.
The pizza chain added that in this case, they are also working with Foodpanda to investigate why the status of the order was not updated on the app when it was delivered.
"The Lunar New Year is a season of celebration for many Singaporeans, and some of our customers faced delayed orders or unsatisfactory service during this peak period," said the spokesperson.
"While the delays were partly attributed to poor weather conditions on the road, this is certainly not the experience we strive to provide our customers at Domino's Pizza Singapore."
The pizza chain added that they are looking to increase manpower during anticipated peak periods, while continuing to prioritise the safety of their riders.
And as part of their SOP, their delivery riders are also reminded to return the orders to the store and update the store manager if the customer is not responsive, or if there are no instructions to leave the order at the door.
"This is to ensure that the food safety and the quality of their orders are not compromised," it said.
How long are you willing to wait for a pizza delivery?
A man, who goes by the username Muhammad Raihan, shared in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Jan 24) that he had to wait for six hours for his pizza from Domino's Kovan outlet to be delivered.
According to the man, he had ordered the food via Foodpanda at 5.53pm and opted for non-contactless delivery, "hoping for someone to knock on my door".
The food was then scheduled to be delivered by 6.35pm, but the man claimed he did not see the food at all even when he left his house to visit a shop near that Domino's outlet at 8pm.
There was "no sight" of his pizzas when he returned home too, he said.
He also said that he tried calling the store numerous times from 7pm to 10pm but no one answered the call.
"[I] opened [the door of my house] a few times after that, still nothing," he added in the comments.
The man then posted a screenshot of the order page on Foodpanda at 11.59pm, which stated that his order was "still being prepared".
It was only when he opened his door a little after midnight did he see the food delivered on his doorstep, he said.
"The deliveryman did not even bother to knock on my door after delivering the food," he said in the post.
"Seriously. What the heck is wrong with the delivery services here."
In the comments, some netizens advised him not to order food during the public holidays in the future due to the long wait, while others suggested that he should pay with cash instead to ensure that delivery orders arrive on time.
One netizen said that the same thing happened to him that day after his wife ordered food from Domino's at around noon.
He claimed that he did not receive the food as well after eight hours.
However, he said he wasn't mad at all because he acknowledged that there was probably high demand.
Responding to AsiaOne's queries, a Foodpanda spokesman apologised for the incident, and said that all Domino's orders placed on the app are delivered by Domino's own fleet of delivery personnel.
"We are sorry to hear that Mr Raihan faced a delay in his recent order on our platform," the spokesperson said, adding that customers requiring updates or facing issues with their Domino's orders can reach out to the Domino's hotline at 6222 6333.
AsiaOne has reached out to Raihan and Domino's for comment.
Long waiting times due to CNY
There were long waiting times on food delivery apps over the Chinese New Year break, a phenomenon which was attributed to high demand and shortage of riders due to the heavy downpour.
Ian Kunasegaran, who was hosting a dinner party for 15 friends on Sunday, had reportedly planned to order food on Grab but was shocked to see waiting times of about 75 to 90 minutes, which was more than the usual 30 minutes or less.
He then drove to the various outlets to collect the food himself instead.
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