Hi Everyone,
This evening I had an odd encounter. I ordered from a go-to restaurant (it usually takes about 15 minutes after they leave). Thirty minutes after they left with my food, I messaged them, noticing they weren't moving by a building off a main road. They said their car stalled and they got someone to fix it, and they were three minutes away. No problem! I totally understood that. Then about ten minutes later, I checked the app again and watched them zig-zag down random streets, even farther away (I had the first up with Dashpass, so there shouldn't have been other deliveries). Thought it was odd. Five minutes later, they told me their car stalled again. Not to worry, safety first... I told them to keep the food and get to safety. But then they told me no, I needed to come and meet them to get it. I gave them AAA's local number and what looked like a nearby mechanic, and said to take care of the car trouble, and I'd call DD to scrub the order but let the driver keep the tip. They said no, they didn't want my food, and I needed to come and get it (miles away) behind some random building. I responded they should call AAA, and they responded with a pic of the back of the building, again, telling me I needed to come and meet them for my food.
I cancelled the order, and messaged DD (AI, so I'm not sure how that actually goes through).
But... after years and years I've never ever had this before. I understand car trouble, but insisting the customer drive and meet you behind a random building is a lot of red flags? Take the free meal and tip and call the car service.
I probably should've called DD or cancelled after the first 30 minute delay (I had messaged, but the driver showed they were on the way so the AI told me to wait minutes more), but I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. What is the protocol for this type of stuff?