A Filipino Delivery Man tried to Resell 14 Unclaimed Orders of Milk Tea

Nowadays, we can get almost anything brought right to our doorstep. Apps that deliver food on-demand have made life convenient for many, but the new technology is nowhere near perfect.

Just last week, a delivery rider for the app Grab in the Philippines was forced to resell 14 cups of milk tea after the customer decided not to claim their order.

A photo of the rider standing along Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City while trying to sell the drink went viral after Twitter user Krizia De Lara (@xiaaaaaang) posted it on Thursday, Sept. 26.

‘I’m at such a loss,' De Lara quoted the delivery man. 'I don’t have any more money to buy milk.'

The order came from an unidentified buyer who asked for the drinks to be delivered to a casino. To get his money back, the rider tried to resell the milk tea, which amounted to around PHP1,900 ($36), on the streets.

"I hope we don’t play them (delivery riders) since they use money from their own pockets every time we transact with them," De Lara added.

Unlike regular delivery services, those done through apps require riders to use their own money to buy the food first, with the expectation that customers will pay them back.

De Lara’s tweet instantly went viral and now has more than 33,000 likes and more than 11,000 retweets. Netizens were quick to empathise with the rider and called on Grab to do something about what happened.

“Buyers should pay first before delivering the orders @grabph so this can be avoided. How many times has this happened, but there’s still no solution? We feel sorry for your delivery men,” @francissajulga7 said.

“This is increasingly becoming so common within the community. You need to protect and help our rider partners from cases like this,” @DJChibiyuki wrote.

Grab has responded to people’s concerns and said that the rider will be reimbursed.

“We regret hearing about this case of unclaimed GrabFood order. Please do note that our delivery-partners are fully-reimbursed by Grab for unclaimed orders once reported. Customers with no-shows face account penalties, including suspension,” it said.

Conversion: PHP1 = $.019

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