Ever since the start of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), many people have been inclined to food delivery. Other than the fact that it's convenient, they're safe from the virus because they would not be required to go out anymore.
But along with that, a lot of issues have been born, including the challenging fate of the grab delivery food drivers not being met by customers who order.
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Cancelling food delivery orders
The issue and the problem encountered by many food delivery riders is not a new topic om in the industry. As a matter of fact, this has long been one of the main problems that the system was not able to amend.
Cancelling rides in GrabCar triggered the system to penalize those who would cancel with any plausible reason; now, an expected jail time for six years for customers who would cancel food delivery orders is being placed in the panel.
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Alfredo Garbin, AKO Bicol Party-list Representative passed House Bill 6958 or more commonly known as the Food and Grocery Delivery Services Act. This act targets customers and clients who cancel their food and grocery orders when riders and drivers of these courier services have already paid for what they need.
The usual process of the delivery is as follows:
- The customer will open the Grab app and will choose food or groceries;
- When a rider or a driver accepts it, he or she will be paying for whatever the goods are;
- It's like the rider or the driver will be paying for the goods and the products first before they deliver it because the customer is yet to pay for it;
- After the driver or the rider's transaction with the specific store, he or she will then go to the location of the customer to deliver the goods or the products that they ordered — and that will only be the time when the customer would pay for it.
Loopholes in the transaction
As you may have noticed, there are a lot of loopholes in the way that the system works. This is the reason why HB 6958 has been passed. As per the bill, this specific Act will be covering the instances where the customer's orders are not fulfilled.
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There have been a lot of pranks about this, and a lot of people were not pleased with how it went down.
This covers instances wherein customers order food and/or grocery items for the purpose of pranking or those who have no genuine intention of availing of the service which causes damage and undue duress to the Delivery Riders and their corresponding services."
Penalties and violations
According to the bill, a jail time of six years would be put against the people who would attempt it. In addition to that, violators who would be caught would also be required to pay for a fine of P100,000; they would also reimburse the food and delivery for the exact value that the riders paid for.
These, hopefully, should be enough to help drivers and riders with their problems and dilemmas.
Shaming and humiliating drivers and riders
But aside from the jail time for six years for cancelling, the bill is also discussing some of the penalties that customers can face should they embarrass, harass, or humiliate the drivers in any platform and in any ways possible.
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It can be lowered if the proper committee finds it too harsh. It's still subject to amendment anyway. Pero laganap kasi ang pangloloko sa deliveries kaya this bill should serve as an announcement and sink into the consciousness na sersoyo dito ang Congress."
In Translation: It can be lowered if the proper committee finds it too harsh. It's still subject, though, to amendment. However, this type of pranks on deliveries have been so widespread to the point that it's already affecting a lot of people. This bill should address this and let the announcement of this sink into the consciousness of the people in Congress.
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What do you think about the House Bill 6958 or the Food and Grocery Delivery Services Act? Would the jail time for six years be enough for the people to cut their pranks out? Let us appreciate the fact that these riders continue their services in the middle of the pandemic; the least we could do is to stop with these types of pranks.
Let us wait for the signing of the said bill to give justice to those who have been victims of these unruly pranks!
Source/s: CNN Philippines | Daily Mail
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