Are Free Pizza Promises Putting Delivery Workers at Risk? Let's Discuss the Ethics

Dear All,

Recently in The Times of India, I was reading about the pizza delivery companies that guarantee you free pizza if they fail to deliver within the specified time (like 30 minutes).

Have you ever wondered who pays for the free pizzas?

Well, the delivery boy is made to pay for the pizza. They are paid such low wages, which I feel ashamed to mention because of the international members, and the price of the pizza is deducted from the monthly wages, which can amount to up to 60% in some months. It becomes difficult to run their family.

To deliver the pizzas, the delivery boys take high traffic risks, and delivery becomes their priority. Their life risk and safety are neither looked into by the Pizza Shop Management nor the Pizza Delivery Boy (They are more concerned to avoid the deductions).

I would only like to request members that if this type of exploitation is carried on in your city's pizza logistics, we should stop availing the home delivery system because to deliver our pizza, one person may be risking his life. Is the life of an Indian citizen so cheap and valueless? In case he is late, we are enjoying pizza at the hard-earned money of a poor delivery boy. Is it fair or right on our part to do it?

As HR, please think and if you feel that this is wrong, please spread the message and stop having pizzas delivered at home.

Please think.

Regards,

SC

Swastik,

Thanks for this eye-opener. I am not against ordering food at home, but yes, henceforth I'll keep this message in mind.

Thanks a lot!
(Cite Contribution)

Hello SC,

Good to see this posting. I completely agree with your post. Human life is not so cheap that we should equate it with the price of pizza or any other home-delivery food.

I am currently in Dubai and would like to share an incident that occurred a few days ago. A pizza delivery boy on a bike was in a hurry to deliver his pizza. As he was about to make a turn, a speeding car was approaching from the other side. The driver tried to save the pizza boy's life but lost control of the car, resulting in the car hitting a pole. Fortunately, the pizza boy was saved, but the driver sustained severe injuries, and the passenger in the car died on the spot due to a head injury.

The business promotion of "Delivering food in 30 mins" should be stopped as soon as possible.

Preeti

Yes, we all should ask all those pizza companies to ban the promotion that says "30 minutes nahi to free".

Hi!

Thank you for your post. This is truly an eye-opener for all of us. I have tried to share this message with all my colleagues and friends. I agree with Little. We should all ask those pizza companies to stop this promotion.

Regards,
Neeta

This is a shocker! We only think about the free pizza but not who pays for it. I think we should think twice before things like this come to affect, not only for pizzas but other items too.

Thanks for sharing this!

Dear All,

Thank you for the responses. I am waiting for more active participation and request everyone to put in their comments. Always remember, if you ever order a pizza to be delivered, always request the Pizza Outlet that the life and money of the Pizza Delivery Boy are more important than the 30 Minutes Delivery Time.

Regards,
SC

That really was a very touching piece of information.

Sometimes, we as customers get so carried away by all the ads and promotions that we see, that we fail to realize that nothing comes free; someone, somewhere is paying for it.

It's very sad that companies, instead of taking responsibility for such delivery people, are taxing them for getting stuck in the traffic, etc.

Thanks for this info.

Shweta

Dear all,

The delivery boy pays because if he delivers the pizza late and tells his company that he could not deliver the pizza on time, he has to fill out a very long questionnaire form. In addition, he has to answer queries from his restaurant manager as well. The delivery boys, to avoid this interrogation, prefer to pay on their own and reconcile with the situation. They generally adjust this amount with their tips. The restaurant manager is also happy because he maintains his (so-called) service level! Is this the success of our Quality Movement?

Thanks,
Dinesh V Divekar

Hi,

Good eye-opener. I am sure we need to bring in more awareness about the same to many people who would like to enjoy food at home and also talk to the concerned restaurants about such wrong promotions that they make.

Please circulate the email to many of those who are not Cite HR Members and bring in the awareness.

Regards,
Suma

Yes.

We should not allow the youth of this country to risk their lives for delivering pizza on time. They have definitely better things and a better cause for which they could risk their lives.

One thing is not to ask for home delivery of pizzas. And if some people do, then thinking they are smart, they should not happily make complaints to the pizza shop if there is late delivery and try to get the pizza for free. Let them remember that the free pizza comes at the cost of the delivery boy's hard work.

Thanks, Swastik, for bringing this matter to the attention of many.

Regards, Jeevaneyan

We ordered pizzas from Domino's a few weeks ago, and the delivery boy was late. He told us our pizzas would be free.

I asked him who pays for this pizza. I also told him that if he has to pay for it from his pocket, I don't want a free pizza, and I will not complain to his management. But he told me that the company pays for any free pizzas. It only affects his performance appraisal. Later on, this delivery boy became good friends with us at the office (we are a bunch of young guys and the delivery boy is a college graduate and almost our age), and we confirmed what he had told earlier, that Domino's does not deduct the amount from his salary. So I am sure he wasn't speaking out of the fear that I might complain to management if he did tell me anything against his management.

I also confirmed the fact with other pizza delivery boys who have come to deliver pizzas to my office from various pizza restaurants (Domino's, Pizza Hut, Smokin' Joe's, etc.), and each one has told me that no amount is deducted from their salary for free pizzas due to late delivery.

Is anyone from the food industry present in this forum? Let's get a clarification on this issue as my research on this topic tells me a different story than what is portrayed in this thread.

Moreover, at least in Ahmedabad, 30 minutes is a long enough period of time for anyone to deliver pizzas in a radius of 5-7 km, even in peak traffic periods. Ideally, it should not take more than 20 minutes.

The real reason why the delivery boys are in such a rush is that the faster they get back, the more orders they can deliver, and hence, the higher the amount of tips they can earn. It's almost like the rickshaw driver, really. I am not from the food industry, but I think we are getting oversensitive about this issue when it's not really the industry's fault.

Please talk at length with the next delivery boy who comes to your home/office, and you'll know the reality... and it's not exactly the same as you think it is.

That's good input Phalgun. Your experience is a complete contradiction to the ongoing issue. I never order, but let's try to find out the truth.

Anyone from the food industry?

Dear Phalgun,

I would be delighted if the thread is proved false. I want to bring to your notice two things:

1) I am not against Pizza delivered at home, but I am against the deduction of salary from the delivery boy for late delivery (I have said it in my last post). The whole incident was brought out by The Times of India, in their supplement Calcutta Times. While taking employee surveys for both internal and external, I have come across many people who are ashamed or afraid to speak out the truth. Still, I will be very happy if what I have read is proved false.

2) You have also said:

"The real reason why the delivery boys are in such a rush is because the faster they get back, the more orders they can deliver, and hence the higher the amount of tips they can earn."

Do you really feel that the working system should be such that a person would have to sacrifice his/her safety to earn more? Is this ethical???

Regards,
SC

It is we who have to take action and start stopping home delivery. If we work together, we can do anything. Okay, I'll pass the message to my friends.

Best regards,
Sangeetha

Hi, Everybody,

I am Ramya from Pune. I recently ordered a pizza, and it took 15 minutes for delivery. I asked for it to be free because of an advertisement, but I found out that there is no free delivery. However, we can get a 25-50% deduction on the next delivery. The delivery person signed the bill paper with his name, acknowledging the delay, and stating that the deduction will be applied to the next delivery.

Dear Ramya,

I recently ordered a pizza, and it took 15 minutes for delivery (45). I asked for it to be free because of an ad, but I found out that there is no free delivery. However, we can get a 25-50% deduction on the next delivery. The delivery person signed the bill paper with his name, acknowledging that he was late and that the deduction would be applied to the next delivery.

This situation appears to be a prima facie case of UTP (Unfair Trade Practices) and misleading advertisement. You have the option to take legal action against the company in the Consumer Court and seek compensation.

I want to reiterate that my concern is not against pizza companies or their delivery systems. As responsible citizens, we should not support practices that are unfair, unethical, and promote unsafe working conditions.

Regards,
SC

Hi,

Thanks for the post. I will try my best to spread the word around. I sincerely hope there was no HR professional's role in inventing such a performance control system!

Best regards,
Jeevan

Dear SC,

First of all, I would say hats off to you for such nice thinking. After all, human safety should be the first priority. But I have a doubt... if we stop taking home deliveries, what will pizza boys do?

Regards,
RRS

Dear RRS,

Yes, you are right. That is why I am insisting that when we order a pizza at home, we should not opt for the "30 minutes or it's Free" system. Instead, you should order and convey that you prioritize the safety and security of every citizen in India. Therefore, the focus should be on the Delivery Boy's safety rather than the time taken for delivery. We do not wish to receive free pizzas that could potentially harm anyone.

Regards,
SC

I agree with you, SC. But, in the process, we should not create doubt in the mind of the pizza wala about whether we really need the pizza or whether we will pay for it upon delivery. Moreover, the pizza delivery boy combines deliveries if they are in the same locality, so by your cautious statement, you only get rid of the sin. However, the state of affairs continues for the sake of other customers. We really need better traffic rules, discipline, and speed limitations to address this.

Jeev.

I completely agree with you and make sure that this message "30 minutes nahi to free" is passed on to as many people as possible. Thanks for this valuable information.

It was a shock for me to know about this as this has happened to me when I had ordered pizza, and due to a delay in delivery, I was given it for free.

I think there's nothing wrong with ordering food at home, but we should stop this practice to avoid the exploitation of workers. But how? Only forwarding the message will not suffice the purpose... What steps should be taken?

Regards,

Yukti.

Hey all,

I have been reading this thread for a long time now and tried to contact a few of my friends who are in this industry. I agree with Phalgun that the delivery guys do not have to pay even a single penny. I know the HR Manager in one of these restaurants. They have started this concept of free pizza with clearance from Traffic Police in most of the Metros. If you have seen these traffic police, they never stop them as they are in some agreement with the company. There are many outlets of this pizza-making restaurant in any city. The time of 30 minutes is calculated keeping in mind the places where one has to deliver the pizza, which is generally less than 25 minutes. Five minutes is the grace period given to all the delivery boys. This practice was started by companies just to avoid gossiping, cigarette smoking, etc.

Regards,
Archna

Dear Archna,

I am again saying that I would be extremely glad if the article I read proves to be wrong.

This whole system is generally kept under wraps for public profile, and the samples interviewed were the delivery boys themselves.

This much I can tell you is that the thing you are saying, "They have started this concept of free pizza with clearance from Traffic Police in most of the Metros," is false.

What they do is bribe the Police (which, again, is unethical), and the road safety rules are flouted for delivery time. I am saying this because I had worked in some Public Utility Essential Services where we had to bribe the Police to allow our vehicles to pass. The whole concept of a "No Entry" Permit is rarely issued by the Traffic Department. So, if they refuse in the case of Essential Services, in no way will they agree to a Pizza Delivery System. This is for West Bengal, and I believe there is no difference in other Metros. Do you think a "No Entry" Permit, which is a highly privileged card given to Ministers, Diplomats, Ambulances, Hearses, Fire Brigade, Armed Forces, and selected Essential Services, will be given to Pizza Companies? Please tell the HR Manager to provide a copy of the Document so that I can go to Court to obtain permissions for Essential Services as well.

Again, I take the opportunity to state that I will be glad if I am proved wrong.

Regards,

SC

Hi Swastik,

I just happened to talk to them and raised this query, and then just to confirm that I had spoken to some delivery boys, with a student of mine who works in a popular news channel. He spoke to almost 25-40 people from different outlets and found that they don't pay for late deliveries. The delivery boys have to pay in case the food is ruined on the way due to any reason. Regarding the clearance from Traffic Police, I'll reconfirm it. Some actions are taken on the managers who are involved in deducting the salaries of delivery boys as well. Wait for some time, the news channel will telecast their special report on the same very soon. I'll let you know the dates also.

Cheers,
Archna

Hi, all,

I also inquired about this by forwarding it to all my friends. One of my colleagues replied back and cleared my doubts about this story. Below you can see his reply to my mail:

Dear Yukti,

Hi! Having worked with the pizza industry for the last 8 years in Southeast Asia and having seen numerous strategies for home delivery, I can tell you with all certainty that this below statement is not true.

Let me give you some history behind "In 30 minutes or free"! Domino's Pizza had a commercial campaign in the 1980s and early 1990s promising, "30 minutes or it's free." This practice was discontinued in 1993 due to a number of lawsuits arising from accidents caused by hurried delivery drivers.

No organized pizza retailer will get their drivers to pay for the free pizza unless there are exceptions with a single owner-operated store. If the riders speed on the road, it is not because they are compelled by delivery timelines. It is the cheap thrill and fun they derive out of speeding.

Regards,

Yukti

Dear All,

As I have already said, I will be glad if the article proves wrong.

Archna said:

Please provide the documents.

Yukti said:

It proves that the whole system is unsafe. It is a form of generating profit at the expense of employee safety and hence was discontinued.

Yukti again said:

So, this practice may exist.

In the end, let me tell you nobody ever admits to all these malpractices unless they are really close, as it may hamper their ego and company's outlook. (I am just suggesting).

Archna also said:

You place a pizza, tell a delivery boy to deliver within 30 minutes on a scooter/bike, and if it gets spoiled, you make him pay. Let me ask what do they mean by spoiled?

Spoiled can be stale, which is not the fault of the Pizza Delivery Guy, or it can be broken or crumbled, or the toppings might get disturbed, which can happen if you are driving fast over poor roads with large potholes, which is quite common on Indian Roads.

Now, the question comes, why does the pizza get spoiled? It is because of the 30 minutes. So, I still feel it is unfair.

In the end, I would like to mention that as Yukti said that it got discontinued in South East Asia in 1993, but exists in India in 2006. It is really quite sad. India has become a dumping ground for banned medicines, disposal of toxic wastes (Ship Wrecking in Gujarat Port), and harmful concepts and ideas. So, we should all stop it.

I will tell you of one more incident. One leading Automobile Company started a scheme of paying about 3,000 monthly and you can buy one of their cars. It turned out that the Automobile was not Euro II standard and hence could not be run in Metros with stricter pollution norms, but they can be run in towns and villages where no such strict anti-pollution laws existed.

Further, as you are all aware, WHO has admitted its mistake regarding Mother's Milk recently and admitted its usefulness and wonderful effect. It is alleged that the Baby Food Industries paid them a lot of money to issue the previous report stating Mother's Milk is not sufficient enough and does not have the requisite nutrients for the growth of the babies.

There are lots of examples to show.

I feel we should not allow things banned in other countries due to reasons of OHS should be allowed in India.

Regards,

SC

Hi Swastik,

Actually, the word is "ruined" and not 'spoiled'; they are two different words with different meanings. :)

If the pizza gets ruined on the way, it means any circumstances such as accidents, negligence, etc., on the way. In this case, the delivery boy has to pay, which is applicable to independent outlets and not company outlets.

I also mentioned that the promise of delivering within 30 minutes is made in reachable areas. In cases where a person is not reachable, they inform you about it.

If the World Health Organization (WHO) can make mistakes, even a daily newspaper can do so.

I suggest exploring the world, going out, and observing what is happening. Sometimes, what we read and hear may not be true.

Cheers,
Archna

I am sure there's enough proof on this thread by now that the TOI article in Kolkata was probably the result more of a 3-person survey by a correspondent (as all newspaper surveys usually are unless the topic is politically sensitive). My apologies to the media industry, but I have been a part of it to know the truth.

Also, there is no industry fault here. Boys are only required to deliver pizza within a short area, within the required time limit, which is accessible in that much time without a problem. As mentioned earlier, there are no real free pizzas, only discounts on the next purchase, and it's a case of wrong advertising.

And by the way, I usually speed across the road out of thrill... probably I am more dangerous than the pizza delivery companies. Let's start a thread about confiscating my driving license or something. Really, all the posting in the last weeks only says one thing... the issue isn't really an issue.

Dear All,

Phalgun

"And btw, I usually speed across the road out of thrill... probably I am more dangerous than the Pizza delivery companies, lets start a thread about confiscating my driving license or something."

Look, the point is not about a reckless person like you going crazy in the middle of the road. There is a law for it. The point is about furthering business at the cost of employees' safety, which I feel is not given any importance in India because our life is very cheap. South East Asia has discontinued it as Yukti mentioned in the previous post. You can see the reason.

Archna

"I suggest exploring the world, go out and see what is happening."

I don't know what made you say this?? Even after several requests, you have not been able to produce any document where the police have given permission, which you were talking about. Kindly walk the talk.

Regards,

SC

Hi All,

I ve been getting many replies from my frenz n collegues on this topic and one of the reply I would like to share with you all which I recently recieved.

Dear Yukti,

though I would also like to be in the bracket of agreeing with you but if I'll share with you the inside real story then I am sure you will also understand the depth of it and moreover non of the mnc keep such practices as their work ethics..

I have worked in pizza hut for about 7 years hence can share the real info., if the delivery is late it leaves a bad remark on their performance, yes if a delivery boy is having a delayed delivery record in his delivery performance tracker on a regular basis and not following all standards of traffic and customer care then he is either send for re-training or asked to work on a different station in the restaurant.

you will be amazed to know that they have audit happing once in a month by the delivery manager who follows the delivery boy right from the point a customer places the order - BOH prepares the pizza and packs it for delivery staff they carry it to the customers. the delivery manager observes and follows each and every step of the staffs till they deliver the pizza to the customer. it is very much possible to deliver the pizza in 30 min. if they follow all steps properly and if they miss on any point, the delivery manager does coach & counseling, fills the details in his performance tracker and analyze the need of tr. intervention or staff's suitability as a delivery boy. This audit is done once in a month on every delivery boy.

Yes, not to deny the fact that MNC 's have their own way of putting pressure on their employees that's why these delivery staff gives such excuses and reasons which are supported by emotions….

hey, i hope the clouds are clear from the sky..

Hello Swastik,

Firstly, as I mentioned in my last email, I'll reconfirm the traffic police thing.

Secondly, when I suggested you go out and explore the world, it was not meant personally. I apologize if you felt offended. My intention was for you to go and speak to the delivery boys yourself.

Thirdly, please try not to be rude to people. I will not engage in any further discussion on this post. Using "reckless person" for anybody in this kind of forum is a major faux pas.

Regards,
Archna

Dear Archna,

I apologize if you feel offended, and to be honest, I had spoken with some delivery boys who agreed with the article, and hence I posted it. After reading Phalgun's post and yours, I also felt offended and initially thought of not discussing further, but then I decided I should reply.

If you have been following my posts, you'll notice I never use "rude" words. However, after reading Phalgun's comment about speeding across the road for thrill, I felt compelled to respond. Am I wrong in considering someone who speeds recklessly for thrill to be dangerous? Just think about the number of accidents that occur (like the Mumbai BMW case, to name just a couple).

Archna, I apologize again, but having worked closely with Statutory Authorities, I have seen how most companies manipulate words to deceive innocent people. I urge you to request the document in which the Police granted them permission. I assure you they won't be able to provide it.

Anyway, I regret if I have offended you.

Kind Regards,
SC

Never mind. I think the point has been driven across. This thread has far outlived the importance of the topic.

Swastik, Kolkata Times is not a bible, and I am sure you haven't taken the effort of going out and talking to a single delivery boy or restaurant owner from your end. You are only building castles in the air, probably from an "ivory tower." Everyone else who is posting here has talked to the actual people who you are getting so emotional about.

I think you did manage to get everyone concerned, and a lot of people made an effort to find out the truth. You finally have to admit that this thread is only able to make a mountain out of a molehill.

And yeah, this thread's outlived its evolutionary cycle, and I am not gonna post any more either. There are larger things to worry about, like my reckless driving and the danger to fellow Indians due to me, for instance :)

Dear Phalgun,

Well, let me tell you, I have talked to a few delivery boys myself who confirmed that prices were indeed deducted. The issue has larger consequences because I do not know in which area of HR you are working, but exploitations and low safety are blatantly violated across industries for profit. ESI and PF evasions are too common. I have never stated to debunk them, but we should go in for products that have been ethically produced. I think the difference can be seen in the value the Japanese put on how the product has been manufactured along with the quality; it is worth seeing.

Regards,
SC