UPDATE (24 July, 2pm): A spokesperson for Deliveroo told MS News it is currently investigating the issue as a matter of urgency.
Deliveroo is also sorry for the customer’s experience.
We’ve updated the article to include Deliveroo’s full response below.
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A Singaporean using Deliveroo for the first time was taking a shower when she heard the rider shouting for her attention.
Alarmed, she rushed out of the shower wrapped only in a towel, and the Deliveroo rider allegedly threatened to provide a two-digit pin code or the rider would leave with her food.
As she was half naked, she could not think clearly and hurriedly retrieved the pin code from her laptop while still only dressed in a towel.
She is unsure if the rider took images or videos of her during this process, as he could see her in her towel.
As such, the woman has made a police report and asked Deliveroo to investigate the matter.
Ms Lim told MS News that she had made a Deliveroo order at around 5.30pm on her web browser on Thursday (20 July).
Image courtesy of Ms Lim
She was using Deliveroo for the first time and was unaware she could pick between contactless delivery and a two-digit pin code.
She thus left explicit instructions for the delivery rider to leave the food on her shoe rack cabinet, with a note stating her doorbell was spoilt.
Thinking this was sufficient, she decided to take a shower as she was caught in the rain earlier before reaching home.
However, while she was showering, the rider arrived at her front gate and shouted, “Hello!”. Ms Lim noted that she lived alone, so no one else could help her in this situation.
She thought he would put the food on the shoe rack cabinet as instructed, but the rider’s shouts began to get louder.
“This is where I got really concerned and alarmed,” she said. “My neighbour next door to me has an elderly lady supposedly recovering from surgery. I was worried that the food rider would disturb her.”
With that on her mind, she decided to rush out of the shower and wrap a towel, not even rinsing off or putting on any other manner of clothing.
When Ms Lim came to the front door, she saw the food delivery rider staring at her in her towel, so she hid behind her kitchen wall in her house for modesty’s sake.
She noted that she never left her house or opened her gate at any point during the exchange.
“The food rider refused to look away until I had to raise my voice to tell him, ‘Look away! And turn around now!'” she said.
During the exchange, the Deliveroo rider allegedly threatens her.
He claimed that if she did not give him her order number, he would not be able to pass Ms Lim’s food to her. “He said he would leave with my food.”
“I was horrified and felt like I was being held hostage,” she said. This was because she wasn’t aware of the two-digit pin code.
Ms Lim had to go to her laptop in her living room to retrieve the pin. She was in full view of anyone from her corridor and surrounding blocks.
Under such circumstances, she said she was in distress at this point.
“When I turned to give him the pin code, to my horror, his body position had now changed to sideways, and he seemed to have a mobile phone in his hand,” she related.
I was so shocked. The next thing on my mind was to think that he might have taken a photo or video of me while I was looking at my laptop screen.
Though she could not confirm this, she was afraid that this might have happened.
As such, she shouted the pin code at him and continued to hide behind her kitchen wall. After that, the rider appeared to be taking some time on his mobile phone.
She did not dare to retrieve her food until he had left.
“Another food rider I spoke to after the incident happened, shared with me that he could be trying to key in the pin code to close off my order before leaving,” she said.
However, she cannot rule out the possibility that he did not take any photos or videos. As such, she will let Deliveroo investigate the matter.
Although Ms Lim contacted Deliveroo afterwards, she has apparently not received a reply as of 23 July.
She has made a police report in the meantime.
Ms Lim doesn’t intend to blame the rider. However, she asked why there was no clear information about the two-digit pin code on their website.
“If I was made aware of this, I believe that this entire incident could have been avoided, and the food rider will not be under investigation either.”
A Deliveroo spokesperson told MS News it is currently investigating the issue.
It also explained that the pin code is part of a new app feature to mitigate any potential confusion for the customer and rider.
“In an event where the rider is unable to retrieve the code from the customer, there are alternative ways to confirm the order and we will be sure to continue to communicate to our riders on how they can proceed in such cases,” they said.
The full statement is as follows:
We are sorry for the customer’s experience and are investigating this issue as a matter of urgency. We have recently introduced an app feature where customers may receive a code immediately after confirming their orders. Riders will then ask for the code upon their arrival to confirm receipt of the order. This is to ensure confirmation from both the customer and rider that the order has been delivered and completed, mitigating any potential confusion. The code can be communicated with the rider via call or chat from within the app as well. This simple process is currently applicable for selected orders, aimed at providing our customers with greater assurance and an improved delivery experience.
In an event where the rider is unable to retrieve the code from the customer, there are alternative ways to confirm the order and we will be sure to continue to communicate to our riders on how they can proceed in such cases.
At Deliveroo, we are committed to delivering the best possible customer experience and strive to continuously improve our processes based on feedback from consumers, restaurants and riders.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Facebook and courtesy of Ms Lim.
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