Food delivery platforms have brought convenience to many citizens' lives, but this emerging industry still requires improved regulation. The Hong Kong Consumer Council's Choice Month Magazine, released yesterday (June 16), revealed that complaints related to food delivery platforms reached 971 cases in the first five months of this year, a 130% increase year-on-year.
Among these, complaints about order cancellations surged nearly fivefold compared to the same period last year, with some consumers even being denied refunds after canceling orders within one minute of placement. The Council urged platforms to enhance information transparency, clearly define "order accepted" and "meal prepared" statuses, and establish a reasonable refund mechanism within a specified timeframe.
According to the Choice report, complaints about food delivery platforms remain persistently high, with order cancellation issues being particularly prominent. Jack Poon, Chairman of the Council's Committee of Digital Economy and Information Technology, stated that over the past three years, the Council has received over 1,000 complaints annually about food delivery platforms. In the first five months of this year alone, 971 complaints were recorded, including 272 related to order cancellations—a nearly fivefold increase from the 47 cases during the same period last year. Consumers often face disputes over "non-refundable cancellations" due to their inability to ascertain whether a restaurant has accepted or begun preparing their order.
He cited an example where the complainant, Mr. Yeung, realized he had ordered the wrong food and attempted to cancel his order one minute after placement. However, three minutes later, the platform refused a refund, citing that the meal was "already prepared," and did not deliver the food. When Mr. Yeung contacted the restaurant seven minutes later, he was merely advised to take up the matter with the platform. Mr. Yeung questioned the plausibility of the restaurant preparing the meal within three minutes and requested proof, but the platform refused, citing "internal business information" and stating that its terms only allowed refunds before order acceptance.
In response to the Consumer Council's inquiry, the food delivery platform emphasized that the restaurant had already accepted the order and used ingredients for preparation, and that consumers should verify their orders before confirmation, hence the refusal to issue a refund. Poon criticized the lack of transparency between platforms and restaurants, rendering the refund mechanism ineffective. After failed negotiations with the platform, the Consumer Council advised Mr. Yeung to seek legal counsel.
Poon stated that the Consumer Council urges food delivery platforms to clearly define key statuses such as "order accepted" and "meal prepared" to prevent consumers from losing both their meals and money. He recommended adopting practices from mainland food delivery platforms, such as implementing an unconditional order cancellation and refund mechanism within a reasonable timeframe, and improving transparency—for instance, by displaying real-time order preparation progress, delivery personnel's pickup and delivery locations, and clear cancellation policies—to ensure consumers are informed and their rights protected.
Reporter's test: Canceling wrong orders proves easy
A Wen Wei Po reporter conducted a test yesterday (June 17), which showed that canceling incorrect orders was not difficult. The reporter placed two orders for approximately HK$60 chicken cutlet meals (from different restaurants) on two separate platforms and canceled them about one minute after placement. Both orders were successfully canceled within two to three minutes, with full refunds issued.
Among them, Foodpanda's refund page explicitly states that orders can generally be canceled, and refunds will be issued if the restaurant has not finalized the order. However, no refund is possible if the restaurant has finalized the order and the delivery person has picked it up. KeeTa's terms indicate that refund requests require applicants to state a reason and are subject to restaurant approval.
Francis Ho, Acting Chief Executive of the Council, noted that of this year's 971 related complaints, 647 were addressed after the Council's intervention, with 291 successfully resolved. Over the past three years, the complaint resolution success rate exceeded 80%, demonstrating that many complaints could be satisfactorily resolved if platforms carefully reviewed their terms and individual cases.
The Consumer Council has raised these issues with the platforms. Although no specific timeline for improvements has been provided, the Council will continue monitoring and urging platforms to reduce complaints at the source. It also advises consumers to carefully verify their orders before placement, promptly contact the platform or the Council if issues arise, and retain transaction records for potential disputes.
(Source: Wen Wei Po; Journalists: Zhang Xian; English Editor: Darius)
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