Would You Have Accepted A Refund for a Delayed Pizza Delivery?

Morphio25 on 10/09/2023 - 07:03
Last edited 10/09/2023 - 12:30 by 1 other user

Curious as to what other people would've done in the same scenario.

Ordered pizza last night from what used to be out favourite pizza place to be delivered. Total is $39.

Order placed at 6.32 and the site said delivery at 7.56. They're pretty popular so figured they must be busy and accepted our fate.

It gets to 8.26, I call them and they say sorry, they're running behind tonight and it's just coming out of the oven now and would be with us in 15 minutes (our place is a 10-min drive).

At 8.55 they called me and apologized again stating they messed up one of the pizzas and had to remake it and it had just come out of the oven and would be here in 15 minutes. Sure enough delivery occurred at 9.10, 2h38m after the order was placed.

Here's where it gets interesting, the store offered me a refund for the delay. I didn't accept, I said I just want what I paid for. To me it felt a bit wrong to take my money back because I got what I paid for, albeit far later than originally intended and we knew they were busy when we initially ordered.

My wife thinks I should have taken the refund. Either way we won't be going back after this experience.

What would you have done?

Poll Options

  • 172
    Accept Refund
  • 11
    Not Accept Refund
  • 5
    Asked for something else
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Comments

  • Puglife on 10/09/2023 - 07:08
    +17

    Somebody offers you free money and you turn it down because you received the product and are morally a good human being?
    Time to hand in your Ozbargain badge!

    • Morphio25 on 10/09/2023 - 10:38

      Funnily enough one of the very first things I thought when I got off the phone was wondering what the OzB folk would say!

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 10/09/2023 - 07:08
    +19

    Independent chain, doing their best? I’d just let it slide. It’s tough out there for hospo. Good on them for offering though. Maybe they realise you’re a regular customer?

    • Morphio25 on 10/09/2023 - 10:39
      +4

      Yep, definitely an independent place. If it was say Domino's or another chain I wouldn't have thought twice about accepting the refund.

    • SlickMick on 11/09/2023 - 07:55
      +7

      Take the refund and free late pizza, turns it into a good experience instead of a bad, store gets a chance to redeem themselves. Win win.
      You refuse refund and remain grumpy, they lose a customer. lose lose.

  • boomramada on 10/09/2023 - 07:17
    +10

    Wife is always right. End of discussion. 🤷

  • cookie2 on 10/09/2023 - 07:20
    +9

    I'd have accepted the refund (or a replacement another day) and then possibly gone back in future if it was good pizza. They tried to fix the situation and offered the refund to do what they could, by not accepting it and not going back, you sorta robbed them of the opportunity to fix it, even though you expressed that you knew they were really busy.
    If you said no, you were probs just done with them and want it in your past and after waiting hours for pizza… i can understand that.

  • Neoika on 10/09/2023 - 07:29
    +2

    No, you should go back again. Order the same time next week and it may be free again.

    • GrueHunter on 10/09/2023 - 12:03
      +17

      I'd go back just because they called, apologised and tried to make it right.

  • holdenmg on 10/09/2023 - 07:48
    +2

    Buy a Pizza Restaurant for fun and profit.
    You get all your future Pizza for free.

    Plus deal with UberEats and others for orders cancelled or I did/didn't want Anchovies.
    Run Business 7 days a Week, gather GST for the Government while paying Gas, Electric, Wages,
    Advertising, Super, etc.

    I'll pass.

  • timthetoolman on 10/09/2023 - 07:52
    +27

    Your favourite pizza place has a bad night, calls to update and apologise for the delay, offers free dinner, and you won't go back?
    Tough customer

    • Morphio25 on 10/09/2023 - 10:42

      Unfortunately not the first time we've had issues with them being late with orders. They have an online system which spits out the estimated time they put into it but they always get it wrong, either for delivery or in-store pickup. This occasion has been by far the worst.

      We actually took a break from them for a couple months and part of me wanted to see if they'd improved at all. Guess I got my answer!

      • timthetoolman on 10/09/2023 - 10:55
        +1

        Fair enough then if it's recurring. A one off seems rough though.
        I get the same hour + eta from my local, but usually on a Friday or Saturday night so it's just a mystery when it shows up.

      • turbochris on 11/09/2023 - 13:24

        Well the simple solution is to order earlier.

        Or ditch them and then we will see you complaining in a few months that there are no independents left and all the franchises suck.

  • OMGJL on 10/09/2023 - 08:37
    +1

    they did what they could to make up for their mistake(or probably uberEats mistake) I think not going back is a bit excessive.

    I probably would take maybe half of a refund if I were you..

  • pegaxs on 10/09/2023 - 08:58
    +8

    So, I’m guessing up until last night, they have been good and no problems, hence it was your favourite pizza place, but you are going to write them off after one bad night? Saturday night as well, probably their busiest night of the week, anything could have gone wrong, staff not turn up/quit, equipment failure, 10x normal demand… the list goes on.

    You won’t be the only one to experience an issue from last night and the owner probably did their arse sending out refunds and dealing with Karens all night. It is probably going to take months for them to recover from this one unfortunate weekend.

    Don’t forget to get on Google and leave a scathing review because of this one time out of the many you have ordered from them that they had a tough night.

    Of all the petty shit, ffs.

    • sss333 on 10/09/2023 - 09:07

      AFL/NRL finals probably meant it was a busier than usual Saturday night at that

    • Morphio25 on 10/09/2023 - 10:48

      They've always been good, as in their pizza is good. Speed of service has always been sub-par though. Last night just happened to be the worst of what we've experienced so far.

      I'm aware that I wouldn't have been the only one and that others probably accepted refunds. They are a small family operation with just the one store so that was part of my thinking in not accepting a refund myself, it's tough out there at the moment.

      • xuqi on 10/09/2023 - 13:00
        +1

        If the is Pizza is good, then perhaps try picking up next time?

        I switched to doing so with the family-owned pizza shop near us, as delivery was always an issue.

      • callum9999 on 10/09/2023 - 15:59
        +2

        I'm not fully appreciating how refusing the refund is somehow helping them out when you've then refused to ever use them again? The cost of processing the refund is surely less to them than the lost profit from years of future orders?

        Not that you have any obligation to keep using them of course, it just read very strangely to see you begin with "they're a small business in tough times, so I want them to keep the refund" and immediately follow with "I'll never give them another cent again"!

  • Sinnerator on 10/09/2023 - 09:15
    +1

    Had I been the pizza company I would have sent you a bunch of free PHAT extras, to put a big smile on your face

  • deme on 10/09/2023 - 09:43
    +1

    lol

  • Gunnar on 10/09/2023 - 10:22
    +1

    I would have found another place when I was told it would more or less be an hour and a half wait at 6:30.

    Alternatively if you wanted food from there so badly, gone to the shop to order and pick up (from experience as someone who doesn’t like home delivered food, you generally get prioritised for instore order and pick up before deliveries and phone orders)

  • El cheepo on 10/09/2023 - 11:48
    +1

    Would i have accepted the refund?
    Probably, I’m an Ozbargainer.

    But as far as never going back goes, i think thats a bit rough.
    Even if its a consistent problem, the fact they made the effort to reach out and offer a remedy would put them high in my books.

    You say yourself, the food quality is good.

    Why throw a restaurant you like away because of late food? If it happens consistently add a time buffer to make up for it.

    • Morphio25 on 10/09/2023 - 12:22

      Unfortunately we've already been down that path. I've given them feedback saying they need to be more realistic with their times. It used to be a flat 20 minutes from when we ordered to pickup but we'd then get there and spend at least that long standing around in their shop waiting. They said they would work on it but in the few times we've ordered since nothing has changed.

      Last night is just the straw that broke the camel's back.

      • El cheepo on 10/09/2023 - 14:01
        +1

        That’s understandable, I understand your logic behind the decision. It’s just not something i would do.

        If i have a restaurant etc that makes something i really like, but have terrible customer service/delivery etc i will still go there because those animals have what i want.
        Unless i could find something just as good…

        Eg: There’s a cafe i love, they often forget orders, take a long time and are usually quite rude to customers.
        I only go there because their coffee and pastries are the best in the area. I do not go for their customer service. (I usually have to make sure Im not in a bad mood before going there so i can make the painful process easier on myself.)

        For me to ditch them despite this horrific customer service, i would need to find a replacement.

  • bobbified on 10/09/2023 - 12:37

    My wife thinks I should have taken the refund. Either way we won't be going back after this experience.

    What would've been good is if you told them that you got what you ordered (although late) and while you appreciate their gesture, you also understand that shit happens sometimes - so you can't accept their offer. (And reassured them that they haven't lost a customer because of this incident).

  • solidussnake on 10/09/2023 - 15:54
    +1

    A booming local pizza joint that isn't Pizza hut or Domino's and they even offered you a refund, I would have accepted 50% back and the food to keep me happy

  • JimmyF on 10/09/2023 - 16:21

    Here's where it gets interesting, the store offered me a refund for the delay. I didn't accept, I said I just want what I paid for. To me it felt a bit wrong to take my money back because I got what I paid for, albeit far later than originally intended and we knew they were busy when we initially ordered.

    The store was trying to make it right for you for the delays…. As you said yourself

    Ordered pizza last night from what used to be out favourite pizza place to be delivered. Total is $39.

    Why is it your 'used to' be favourite place now?

    They offered, you said no. Can't hold any delays against them now.

  • prodrome on 10/09/2023 - 18:14

    Please add John Wick style retribution to the poll options.

  • djsweet on 10/09/2023 - 20:39

    If they are so busy your order took over 2 hours to make from ordering? Then they can afford the refund. Should have taken it.

  • jrvb42 on 11/09/2023 - 10:04

    They offered a refund as well as the goods? If so, yes, take the money.
    They offer a refund instead of completing the order? No way, you've already waited, and would then have to start organising dinner AGAIN, but I'd then be asking for some compensation.

  • samfisher5986 on 11/09/2023 - 12:07
    -1

    The business manager/owner has messed up and lied.

    I'm betting when you called they had either forgotten about your order or they knew it was going to be hours later and thought the best option was to lie to you.

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