A woman from southern China was left bloodied with head injuries after a food delivery driver allegedly attacked her in fear of a negative customer service review for being late with her dinner.
The part-time postgraduate woman decided to order food via Ele.me on Saturday at around 6 p.m. from a restaurant only 10 minutes away from her in Haikou, Hainan. However, two hours passed and there was still no sign of her food or a message/call from the driver, according to South China Morning Post.
The woman decided to give the restaurant a call and ask for the status of the delivery.
“While I was waiting, I called the restaurant a few times and the delivery driver was abusive to me over the phone,” she told Southern Metropolis News via SCMP.
At around 8:20 p.m., the woman had enough of waiting around and decided to personally go to the restaurant to pick up her order. The driver then instructed the woman to wait for him by the shop’s entrance.
After arriving at the location, the driver suddenly became angry after the woman asked for his name and demanded to know if she planned to report him for terrible customer service.
“He asked me if I was going to report him to the company, then grabbed his car lock and started hitting me on the head,” she explained.
“I was so badly beaten that all I could do was kneel on the ground and try to hold up my head.”
The woman was later brought to a nearby hospital by her friends whom she called after the attack. She was covered in blood and needed stitches on her forehead. Her medical bill added up to 2,000 yuan ($300).
Ele.me representatives said they were informed that the delivery man had been fired from his position at the restaurant, and the company is cooperating with local police in search for the suspect who attacked the woman.
Ruthless and aggressive behavior over bad reviews in China, especially when it comes to food quality and services, is not entirely new. In September, a male customer was almost killed by a group of thugs sent by a restaurant because of a negative review it received from the man’s wife.
