A Postmates customer believes missing condiments on a food delivery order is grounds for a full refund as a “pain and suffering” tax.
TikToker Jordan Firstman (@jtfirstman) posted a viral clip with over 181,000 views as of Sunday. In his video, Jordan has beef with the fact that Postmates refunded the dipping sauces he purchased with his chicken meal as they were an integral part of the dining experience. He claims this severely inhibited his enjoyment of the food he was about to dive into.
Jordan pointed out that one of the dipping sauces, “jalapeño aioli” isn’t necessarily a common item someone would have in their home, which is why he ordered it. He contests that having to pay a premium for delivery, while waiting for one’s food, only to see that key items he specifically requested were missing, is grounds for a full refund as his meal was effectively ruined.
@jtfirstman Thats soooo tea girl !
♬ original sound – Jordan firstman
“I think you should get paid for pain and suffering too, cause my meal is ruined now, I ordered that with the sauces because that is how I want to eat my meal,” Jordan rants. “I’m not gonna eat a dry chicken finger. And I don’t have that many condiments in my fridge…So you should get paid for pain and suffering. You should get the whole meal free in my opinion if they forget the sauces.”
According to the refund facilitation company Chargeback, Postmates issues refunds to customers within one to three business days and “has a largely customer-friendly refund policy” which covers “missing…[and/or] incorrect items.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw record-setting usages of restaurant deliveries, nine out of 10 surveyed at-home diners said they’ve had issues with their orders, according to Restaurant Dive. Another food industry outlet, Restaurant Business, wrote that “food delivery mishaps are alarmingly common,” citing a similar statistic. They added that because of persistent failings from food delivery apps and the surcharges issued to both the customer and restaurant, businesses are exploring the option of deploying their own delivery systems.
TikTok viewers agreed with the inconvenience of having to deal with an incorrect order, with one person commenting, “Ordered sushi once and they didnt bring soy sauce and i didnt have any at home and it was honestly one of the most miserable days of my life.”
Someone else agreed with Jordan’s sentiments about the importance of sauce for a meal, sharing, “THE MEAL IS A VESSEL FOR THE SAUCE.”
“I complained about Wingstop leaving out the ranch they refunded THE ENTIRE MEAL,” a user said. “TBH the only acceptable result.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Postmates via email and Jordan via TikTok comment.