Foodpanda’s Public Relations Crisis With Their Masked Delivery Man
Was he a Foodpanda delivery man or was he not?
That question was on everybody’s mind this week as the food delivery company put out conflicting information about a supposed deliveryman making hoax deliveries.
The saga began earlier this week, when some Singaporeans received this photo on WhatsApp:
The photo showed a man wearing Foodpanda’s distinctive pink and grey uniform and carrying a plastic bag.
Standard food delivery — fair enough.
But it was his face that drew the attention and concern of netizens.
It was almost fully covered in a pink and white bandana.
The photo was accompanied by a warning about people pretending to be food deliverymen and turning up at your front door.
According to TODAY, the so-called deliverymen “asked (residents) to open the door”, even though residents had not ordered any food.
Cue screams.
Let the confusion begin
Perhaps pressured to respond swiftly to the looming PR crisis, Foodpanda Singapore managing director Luc Andreani told TODAY on Tuesday (19 Mar):
This person is not a rider on (his) shift, but is falsely posing as a delivery rider. Riders are taught not to cover their face and always behave amiably with our customers. Foodpanda is investigating this incident further and will work collaboratively with police to find the culprit.
The comments, coupled with early reports of a possible hostage situation in Jurong, might have led some to fear for their safety.
Oops, that’s not what actually happened
But a few hours later, Foodpanda clarified that the rider was indeed a legit deliveryman making a delivery.
In an email statement to the media, the company said:
Following further investigation, Foodpanda can confirm that an attempted food delivery on March 17 to a Singapore resident, who had not made an order, was made by a registered Foodpanda ride.
Explaining why the delivery was made to a household that had not ordered food, it continued:
The rider was responding to an incorrect delivery address entered into an order by a Foodpanda customer.
The statement appears to have made no reference to Mr Andreani’s earlier boo-boo.
That’s the first thing you learn in PR: when faced with a crisis, sweep it under the rug and focus on a shiny new product.
On a serious note, we’re glad that there is no masked criminal and that we can enjoy food delivery in peace.
But if anything, this is a lesson to communications professionals everywhere — get your facts right before going public, for all our sakes.
Featured Image via Facebook.
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