Ordering food online has become an effortless daily convenience, but a recent frustrating experience shared by a social media user serves as a stark warning to consumers across Malaysia.
After falling victim to the exact same deceptive online storefront three times, the user took to Threads to expose a sketchy tactic used by certain food merchants to mislead unsuspecting customers.
Shocked by the condition of the food
The ordeal began when the user ordered a meal from a delivery listing operating out of the Pandan Cahaya area in Ampang. To the user’s absolute horror, the food that arrived was completely inedible.
“The most heartbreaking part is that the food that arrived was already spoiled! It had a pungent smell, tasted terrible, and was completely inedible,” she shared, expressing her fury over receiving foul-smelling, spoiled meals.
When she reached out to customer service for help, she was met with further frustration, claiming that the platform’s support team gave her the runaround and initially refused to issue a refund.
The shady ‘rebranding’ tactic
Digging deeper into why this kept happening, the user uncovered a manipulative pattern. According to her investigation, shady operators intentionally cycle through different names and diverse menus—ranging from Western and Thai to Korean cuisine and pizza—while keeping the exact same physical storefront and kitchen location.
“This tactic is intentionally meant to trick customers. When a shop’s old rating gets too bad, they just open under a new name instead,” she explained, pointing out that businesses do this to escape bad reviews and continue scamming people under a fresh identity.
Grab responds to the viral incident
Following the viral traction of her post, Grab publicly reached out to issue an apology for the unpleasant experience and requested her booking ID so their team could investigate the matter and take appropriate action. Promptly responding to the official reply, the user provided her booking ID for further review.
Essential advice for food delivery users
Hoping to save others from experiencing the same financial loss and food poisoning risks, the user shared practical advice for navigating food delivery apps safely:
“For other food delivery users, I’d advise checking the recent reviews and restaurant details carefully before ordering. If you notice a storefront frequently changing names, using the same menu/photos, or having multiple suspicious reviews, it’s probably better to be cautious and do a little research first. Hopefully sharing this can help other consumers avoid going through the same experience.” she said.
