Rider spills woman's milk tea, but she complains $3.20 compensation from delivery platform isn't fair — here's why

[UPDATE: Feb 14]

In response to AsiaOne's queries, Foodpanda said they are aware of the incident and have reached out to the customer to resolve the issue.

"We will also continue to work closely with our restaurant and delivery partners to ensure orders are packed well and our customers have a consistently pleasant experience," said the Foodpanda spokesperson.

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She had topped up money for an extra drink and a pack of chips from Subway.

However, to Yvonne Lim's horror, her drink was badly spilled during the delivery process. 

And to add salt to her wound, the delivery platform only offered to refund her 20 cents and compensate her with a $3 voucher.

Upset, Lim took to Facebook group Complaint Singapore on Thursday (Feb 9) to complain about the incident. 

She shared that when she received the order, she realised that around three-quarters of her milk tea had been spilled.

The plastic bag containing the cup was also brimming with tea. 

In hopes of getting a refund, Lim contacted Foodpanda via the delivery app. 

Foodpanda told her they can process a 20-cent refund via her Pandapay wallet. 

The delivery platform also told her that she would be issued a $3 compensation voucher, which will be credited to her e-wallet instantly. 

This voucher is valid from Feb 9 to March 9 and can only be used for one order with a minimum order value of $1. 

However, Lim was not happy with this arrangement. 

No new order, no voucher

Several netizens pointed out that $3 was a decent compensation amount.

But Lim pointed out that "vouchers can only be used on orders". 

"I can only utilise the $3 voucher if I make new orders. If not, I wouldn't get it," she explained. 

She also shared that she had topped up $4.10 to get the drink and a pack of chips and hence, would prefer a refund. 

"They should refund me [for] the drinks. I don't want the voucher," Lim said. 

One netizen did point out that if he were Lim, he would have solved the problem by simply pouring the tea back into the cup from the plastic bag.

According to Foodpanda's terms and conditions, customers who discover defects with their orders can contact their customer service support. 

If Foodpanda determines that the order is not in satisfactory condition or quality, they will compensate the customer for the order or parts of the order. 

AsiaOne has reached out to Lim and Foodpanda for more details. 

No refund for you 

In July last year, another woman ordered a meal from Pontian Wanton Noodles via GrabFood and allegedly found a fly in her soup. 

Though she requested for a refund, GrabFood rejected it. 

The delivery platform explained that they couldn't do this as the woman's account was "found to have increased in the amount of compensation requests, which is against [their] refund policy."

She too admitted that she makes refund requests around "five to six times" before. 

Under Grab's Code of Conduct: Consumer section for their terms and conditions, customers should not claim refund or in any way demand compensation for claims which are unsubstantiated, fraudulent, or otherwise false.

ALSO READ: Extra ingredients? Woman finds worms in yong tau foo, delivery platform offers refund of 90 cents

melissateo@asiaone.com

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