KUALA LUMPUR – Food delivery platform Foodpanda has apologised over a slew of complaints, especially from merchant partners over “hidden fees” imposed under its wastage policy.
The company, in a statement, said it will be revising the policy with immediate effect after receiving “candid and constructive” feedback from its merchant partners.
“First and foremost, we would like to apologise for any inconvenience that our recent policy may have caused. It was never our intention to use this policy change to unfairly apply any ‘hidden’ fees on the merchant partners on our platform.”
The company said while the wastage policy has always been included in its commercial agreements with the merchants, this is the first time Foodpanda is revising the policy.
“We recognise that in this instance, our merchant partners would have appreciated more clarity on the breakdown of fees in line with the policy changes, and we will ensure any changes will be more clearly communicated in future.”
Foodpanda’s apology comes fresh off the heels of the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry setting up a special complaint channel for traders and consumers to submit any issues and problems related to food delivery services (p-hailing).
Last week, deputy minister Datuk Rosol Wahid said complaints can be channelled via email to [email protected] to allow appropriate action to be taken by the ministry, reported Bernama.
In the apology, Foodpanda said the policy was designed to tackle cases of fraudulent transactions resulting in food wastages.
“(This) was why a proposed policy was introduced, to rebalance the current cost structure with our merchants. Therefore, after in-depth discussions with merchant partners, we have decided to review and exempt selected fees and charges from the wastage policy.”
The company reiterated its commitment towards maintaining a healthy ecosystem between Foodpanda and its partners, adding that it has simplified its vendor help centre to provide more efficient resolutions as well as responding to merchant queries within 48 hours.
Meanwhile, GrabFood Malaysia, when asked for a response to the ministry’s hotline, did not comment on the matter.
On the other hand, the national P-Hailing Riders Association (Penghantar) praised the ministry’s move to create a hotline for complaints.
“We highly welcome and appreciate any feedback that is given. However, what is most important is the implementation and action that will be taken by the ministry (on the complaints),” Penghantar deputy president Abdul Hakim Abdul Rani told The Vibes recently.
“This (hotline) is something that is highly needed as there are issues that are raised with the companies involved but are not addressed properly.” – The Vibes, November 1, 2021
