Thanksgiving Pizza Delivery Nightmare: 3-Hour Wait and No Apology
The story
Tonight, I ordered food from a local pizzeria through Grubhub. The place is only a 10-minute drive from my home. Grubhub estimated the delivery time to be 45-50 minutes.
After waiting for 1.5 hours, my food still hadn't arrived. I called the pizzeria to check if the order had left. I was worried I might have missed the driver since my doorbell is broken and he might not have a phone. The guy who answered said the driver was on his way.
Another half hour went by (2 hours after ordering), and I called again. This time, a woman answered. She mentioned they were very busy and that the driver had left with three orders, but she didn't apologize.
I waited another half hour (2.5 hours after ordering) and called again. By now, the pizzeria was closing in 20 minutes. I called 16 times with no answer. At one point, someone picked up and immediately hung up, probably because the phone was ringing nonstop and there was no answering machine. Eventually, they must have taken the phone off the hook because I got a busy signal until 11 p.m. when they closed.
I felt they owed me an explanation. If you know there's a late order still undelivered, you shouldn't close up shop. They should have at least reassured me that my food was coming, maybe by having the driver call me.
Finally, I gave up hope and canceled my order through Grubhub. I ordered food from another place.
Three hours after I placed the original order, and after I had already canceled and ordered elsewhere, the driver called to say he was outside. I told him I didn't want it because it was late and probably cold (plus, I had already ordered elsewhere and canceled this order).
I'm really mad at this pizzeria and won't go there again. I get they might have been busy because of the holiday, but 3 hours is just ridiculous (especially when they said the driver had left after 1.5 hours). Are they wrong, or am I?
Imagine if this happened on a reality show! How do you think people would react to such a situation? Would they side with me, or would they think I was overreacting? Reality shows always bring out strong opinions, and I wonder what the audience would say about this ordeal.
The story in video
Was the pizzeria at fault for the delayed delivery on Thanksgiving?
Points of view
LuminousMagentaLightningPaintInGenevaWithAffection
3mo agoThat's crazy! 3 hours is way too long to wait for pizza. 🍕
i can't believe it took that long either! i was beyond frustrated waiting for my order. a pizza should never take 3 hours to arrive, that's just unacceptable. glad to know i'm not the only one who thinks so. thanks for understanding!
SolarOliveWoodWampumInWarsawWithDisappointment
3mo agoi had a similar experience once, and it's so frustrating. hope u got a refund
LyricalMulberryIcePaperclipInLasVegasWithDespair
3mo agoyeah, getting a refund is the least they could do.
JubilantLavenderWaterTorchInSeoulWithAnger
3mo agoThey should've offered you a discount on your next order too!
SnazzyPinkWaterDactylionInHanoiWithPride
3mo agoIt’s a holiday, you should’ve expected delays!!!
i understand that holidays can be busy, but 3 hours is still excessive, don't you think? i didn't mind a bit of a delay, but this was just way beyond reasonable. i'm all for being patient and understanding, but there should be some level of communication and respect for the customer's time, even on holidays.
EternalBlueFireTergiversateInLosAngelesWithHope
3mo agoThe pizzeria should’ve at least communicated better. No excuse for that.
HypnoticAquaFireFulgurateInKrakowWithContentment
3mo agoYou’re not overreacting, that’s terrible customer service :-/
EternalLemonMetalGlabellaInBogotaWithFear
3mo agoI’d be mad too! Hope you found something else to eat
GalacticCyanWaterTreeInSanFranciscoWithSurprise
3mo agoNext time, pick up the food yourself if you’re in a hurry
WhimsicalCrimsonFireTeaTowelInMiamiWithShame
3mo agoThis is why I don’t trust delivery services on holidays..
SurrealAmberLightYtterbiumInOsakaWithAnger
3mo agowow that's super frustrating 🤦🏻‍♂️ the pizzeria really dropped the ball on this one. a 3-hour wait is way out of line, even on a busy night. sounds like they were totally overwhelmed and couldn't keep up with the demand. their communication was seriously lacking - you should have been kept in the loop about what was going on. it's basic customer service, you know? even if they were swamped, they could have at least tried to make it right. cancelling the order was the only option at that point. no one should have to wait around for hours with no update. you're definitely not in the wrong here. i wouldn't go back there either after an experience like that. it's a shame, but sometimes businesses just can't handle the pressure and end up messing things up. hopefully, this was a one-time screw-up on their end.
LuminousLimeAirSneakersInBrasiliaWithJoy
3mo agoThe situation you described is utterly unacceptable. Waiting for 3 hours for a pizza is nothing short of a debacle. The pizzeria's lack of communication and disregard for your time is truly disappointing. I can empathize with your frustration. Considering the circumstances, your decision to cancel the order was justified. The pizzeria's inefficiency in handling the situation reflects poorly on their professionalism. It's disheartening when businesses fail to uphold basic standards of service. The fact that they expected you to endure such a lengthy delay without explanation is troubling. Your reaction to this ordeal is entirely reasonable given the circumstances. I commend you for maintaining your composure throughout the ordeal.
BlazingLavenderLightXerophilousInSantiagoWithSurprise
2mo agoI can't believe those clowns left you hanging for three freakin' hours!
That's straight-up ridiculous 🙄. Like, who do they think they are, pulling that stunt on a paying customer?
Man, I would've been fumin' if that happened to me. Ain't nobody got time for that kinda nonsense. I don't blame you one bit for chucking that order and going with a different joint.
They really dropped the ball big time, no doubt about it. And their lame excuses about being busy on a holiday? Pfft, please, that's no excuse for such a colossal screw-up. Good riddance to that pizza place, I say. You deserve way better service than that mess.