Getting free food from Uber Eats delivered to your doorstep doesn’t sound like a big deal, right? Unless you and your neighbors receive more than 40 unsolicited orders per week, at any time of the day and with totally random food. That’s happening in Los Angeles (United States) and New Westminster (Canada), two distant and apparently unrelated cities that now face the same problem: neighborhoods inundated with packages that people did not order, but that someone sent and paid for.
The phenomenon began discreetly at the beginning of March in the neighborhood of Highland Park, in the Californian cityas reported Los Angeles Times. At first, some residents were excited about the delivery free, but after three weeks unwanted mass deliveries have become a nuisance.
“Before you knew it, the whole street was littered with McDonald’s and Starbucks bags, and no one could explain where they came from,” Morgan Currier told the local outlet. ABC7. “People have received more than 30 to 40 requests,” added the man, who has been the recipient of at least three dozen of these.
Another resident by the name of William Nealy says the deliveries have begun to “haunt him in his dreams.” He also complains that the menu doesn’t vary much, as “about 80% of the time it was just one Chicken McCrispy.”
Mass shipments reached Canada
More than 2,000 kilometers to the north, the inhabitants of the neighborhood of Victoria Hill in New Westminster, a city in the province of British Columbia, face the same problem. In recent weeks, hundreds of bags of food have accumulated at the doors of houses and buildings, reports the Canadian outlet. CBC News.
Unwanted deliveries peaked last Thursday “with dozens of deliveries piling up” outside condos. “Someone sent me a front porch picture of him. The animals had gotten into the McDonald’s bag and food was everywhere,” a witness said.
Neighbors indicate that the local Police Department has said they cannot address the problem.
This is the mysterious free orders from Uber Eats
Those affected point out that the mysterious deliveries began on Range View Avenue and spread to various points in the neighborhood. Most of it is fast food from chains like McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Taco Bell, among others.
All orders are paid and include a tip for the delivery man, but they do not have sender information, such as name or phone.
In Canada, orders do not go to specific addresses, instead they ship to generic condominium, condominium or building locations, without specifying the interior number.
The packages were addressed to names like “Steve C” and “Jenn O,” who did not match who lived in those places. In addition, the deliveries came from a telephone number with the digits 555-555-5555.
Sadly, many of those who received food in Los Angeles are unable to eat it.
“Most of us here are vegetarians,” said one affected. “We could give it to contractors on the street or just take it to the small local food bank,” they add, considering that “it is a waste to send it to a vegetarian.”
In New Westminster the selection of food is even stranger, as there are those who have received only water, condiments or desserts, among others.
“One of our neighbors got a bowl of KFC dip,” said Jennifer Hughes, a local resident who received more than 30 deliveries in just one week, including two bottles of water and a donut.
Not even Uber Eats knows what’s happening… and they’re worried
At first it was thought that perhaps it was a marketing strategy by Uber Eats, but that was ruled out due to the company’s confusion.
An Uber spokesman called the surge in unwanted deliveries “worrying.” The platform reported that they have launched an investigation to identify the origin of the massive orders.
So far it is unknown who made and paid for the shipments, but Uber Eats has already “taken action against several accounts.” In a statement, the company said it has banned profiles related to recent orders and “will not hesitate to take further action if unsolicited orders continue.”
For their part, several affected indicate that they tried to call the telephone numbers that appear on the receipts of the orders, but they are disconnected.
Deliveries have not been able to stop completely in both cities, but it is expected that the brake will stop at any moment (or that it will replicate in other neighborhoods, can you imagine?).
Editorial Team The editorial team of EMPRENDEDOR.com, which for more than 27 years has worked to promote entrepreneurship.