The Consumer Council has recently received numerous complaints regarding delivery platform services. Issues reported include late deliveries, missing items, incorrect orders, and spilled food. Consumers have also expressed concerns about the lack of compensation for delivery delays, no refunds for orders canceled within one minute, and the presence of a "pickup" option when the restaurant has no physical store.
Last year, there were 1,146 complaints related to delivery platforms, an 8% increase from the previous year. In the first five months of this year alone, 971 complaints have been received, which is 85% of last year's total, indicating a significant surge in complaints.
Confusion & Errors in Delivery Time Records: Refusal to Provide Delay Compensation
One complainant ordered food through a delivery platform, which indicated that the order would arrive in 20 to 30 minutes. However, after waiting 45 minutes without receiving the food, the app showed the order as "delivered." Upon contacting the delivery person, the complainant received a photo as proof of delivery, but the location did not match their residence. The platform's customer service later called to inform the complainant that the food was still at the restaurant and that another delivery person would be dispatched. However, after ending the call, the complainant noticed that the order status had changed to "completed." Upon contacting the platform again for clarification, they ultimately waited an hour longer to receive their food.
The complainant later discovered that the platform did not issue a HK$120 compensation coupon as per the delay compensation policy, claiming that the system showed the order was delivered within 15 minutes after the estimated arrival time, thus not meeting the delay compensation criteria. Despite providing chat logs with customer service to demonstrate that the system records were incorrect, the platform insisted that their records were accurate and that they could not investigate the situation further, only offering a HK$25 coupon as compensation. The complainant refused this offer and requested to terminate their paid membership, which was denied. After the Consumer Council intervened, the platform re-evaluated the order and agreed to issue a HK$120 coupon in compensation according to their delay compensation mechanism.
Cancellation Within One Minute After Ordering: Refusal to Refund Claiming "Food Already Prepared"
A complainant ordered food through a delivery platform but realized they had made an incorrect selection. Within one minute of placing the order, they requested to cancel it and receive a refund. However, three minutes later, the platform refused the refund, stating that the restaurant had already prepared the food, while also indicating that they would not deliver the canceled order.
The complainant then successfully contacted the restaurant seven minutes after submitting the cancellation request, asking to cancel the order. However, the restaurant did not respond and merely suggested contacting the platform. The complainant later discovered that the platform's cancellation and refund policy stated that if the restaurant had not accepted the order, consumers could still request a cancellation and refund. Believing that the one-minute gap between ordering and cancellation qualified them for a refund, the complainant requested it. The platform, however, insisted that the restaurant had already prepared the food and could not arrange a refund. The complainant argued that it was unreasonable for the restaurant to claim the food was prepared within three minutes and requested proof of preparation from the platform, which was denied, leading them to file a complaint with the Consumer Council.
In response to the Consumer Council's inquiry, the platform emphasized that the restaurant had already accepted the order and used ingredients for preparation. They argued that consumers should verify their order details before placing it, thus citing their policy to refuse the refund. Regarding the complainant's request for proof of preparation, the platform also refused to provide this information, claiming it was internal business information of the restaurant. Since both parties could not reach a consensus, the Consumer Council advised the complainant to consider seeking legal advice to determine whether to pursue further action.
Restaurant Offers "Takeout Pickup" Option but Has No Physical Store
A complainant ordered food through a delivery platform, selecting the "takeout pickup" option. When the complainant arrived at the address provided by the platform to collect the order, they discovered that the restaurant did not have a store in that shopping center and were unable to pick up their food. The complainant also attempted to call the restaurant, but the number was invalid. They then sought assistance from the platform, which stated that they could not contact the restaurant. The complainant requested a refund, but the platform refused, citing that the restaurant had accepted the order, and only offered a HK$10 coupon as compensation.
The complainant believed the delivery platform had a responsibility to verify the operational status of its restaurants and filed a complaint with the Consumer Council against both the platform and the restaurant, requesting improvements in service and a refund.
The Consumer Council contacted both the platform and the restaurant for mediation. The restaurant responded that it operates solely online and does not have a physical store, and they subsequently updated their phone number. They requested that the platform remove the "takeout pickup" option to prevent similar incidents in the future. The platform confirmed to the Consumer Council that the full refund had been issued to the complainant.
Related News:
Comment