To paraphrase Woody Allen, pizza is still pretty good even when it’s bad.
But what about when it’s stone cold, squashed into an unrecognisable doughy mass, or entirely devoid of a key component like cheese?
Asked for pizzas but ended up with calzone. Not great @Deliveroo pic.twitter.com/zNMMFGsqiX
— Ali Woods (@ItsAliWoods) December 8, 2016
What about when half of it’s missing or stuck to the top of the box?
Unfortunately for Deliveroo customers, the latter has been the case all too often.
@Deliveroo Just ordered a green curry but it has come with two hairs #disgusting. 14 people in the complaints queue...still waiting pic.twitter.com/EjvkgWmWgG
— Dr Faye Kirkland (@FayeKirklandGP) October 28, 2016
@Deliveroo @giraffetweet food sodden the bag which broke upon deliver. Waited an hour to get this as a main and starter! Shocking food pic.twitter.com/Z90Hpxh1Ax
Far from meekly swallowing the bitter pill, they are taking to Twitter and other social media to complain loudly and unrestrainedly about their poor customer service, food arriving late, cold, squashed or spilled, often complete with horrifying photos as evidence.
Placed order on @Deliveroo 4 @love_prezzo Southampton, didn't know Carbonara was cooked with motor oil? #disgusting pic.twitter.com/GpZRgcrgDz
— ValkyrVision (@valkyrvisionCJ) May 12, 2016
@Carluccios disgraceful how ur food was just delivered via @Deliveroo! Cold & Disgusting. #disappointing #neveragain pic.twitter.com/RTaOUJdxwa
— Kevin O Brien (@OKevobrien) September 18, 2016
Not Tender lamb cubes grilled on skewers but a box full of bones, utterly disgusting, very disappointing @Deliveroo pic.twitter.com/nGjZVeXxYI
— :: mike (@dandyaugust) January 21, 2016
Deliveroo is by no means the only company of its ilk on the market.
With the likes of Amazon Prime and UberEats rapidly carving out their own share of the scene, these services are becoming ubiquitous
And while Deliveroo might be the grandfather of restaurant delivery, the new kids on the block are threatening to steal its lunch if it doesn’t prioritise listening to its customers and swiftly acknowledging when mistakes have been made.
With the whole restaurant delivery proposition built on the premise of a higher standard of both food and service than just ordering from a local takeaway, customers are primed to expect more.
Of course, a quick glance at Twitter shows that delivery mishaps are by no means relegated to Deliveroo - UberEats has faced its fair share of negative customer feedback too.
@UberEATS what's going on!! 2 days in a row bad food. Day 1 burnt burger day 2 dropped food!! Where can I complain I want my money back pic.twitter.com/ZKm1mPY7Do
— saltbae x (@Zakeee_1) October 26, 2016
Wow! A great delivery by @UberEATS - did they take these via a rally track? WTF? Disgusting. pic.twitter.com/K0oAYYsQrx
— James Fewtrell (@jamesfewtrell) January 22, 2017
But the key difference is that it doesn’t yet have the market presence of its competitor, and so arguably has less to lose at this early stage in its development.
Other sectors have also faced scathing Twitter-based criticism such as Amazon, which was pilloried several years ago over the use of excessive packaging to wrap tiny items.
Excessive packaging reaches a new levels of absurdity at @amazon. A watch strap in a box that can fit 10 iPads pic.twitter.com/NdAum0kSwL
— John Markston (@JohnMarkston1) February 22, 2017
And earlier this month, Sainsbury’s faced the wrath of a customer stunned to find 53 items had been packed in 23 plastic bags during a home delivery of groceries.
Sainsbury's delivers 53 food items in 23 plastic bags https://t.co/lDO36kKKoE Via BBC
— Killian L. Mayua (@klmayua) March 2, 2017
In a time where the consumer wields absolute power when it comes to online reviews, every brand needs to actively reach out to its customer base, ask for feedback and then act on it, rather than waiting for criticism to surface organically.
@Deliveroo @HandmadeBurger 45 minutes late,freezing cold and items missing.
— ??Jason (?°-°)??? (@GTperformer1984) January 9, 2016
disgusting value at £25 pic.twitter.com/ltUbyVtq6Y
More often than not this happens when customers are already angry, and can cause more damage to a brand in the long run.
A brand like Deliveroo lives or dies by what customers are writing about it online, so it needs to acknowledge and listen to what they are saying about poor service, and then walk the walk where fixing shoddy delivery practices are concerned, as well as biting the bullet and responding to criticism head-on.
Otherwise, it could stand to lose everything to a more agile and responsive competitor.
Marina Cheal is chief marketing officer at Reevoo
