One of the perks of living in the 21st century is technology. Smartphones and the gig economy together have created many new jobs that allow people to pay someone else to do everyday tasks like groceries or picking up takeout food. I've used Uber Eats and Postmates (now owned by the same company) countless times. RELATED: Travel Experts Reveal the Reasons They Eat at McDonald's When They Travel
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In my travel newsletter (sign up for free here), I often tell readers that instead of ordering hotel room service, they should consider ordering food from Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub, etc. Not only will you save money but you will most likely get much better food, something with a sense of place, and you will support local businesses.
I've never had any problems with my deliveries except once in a great while when a company cancels if they can't find any drivers. But nothing major like some of my friends have experienced, like people stealing their food or worse, tampering with it.
Fortunately, I don't personally know of anyone who has experienced the latter, which is a relief, but I'm not sure why all restaurants don't use secure safety stickers like my local Thai restaurant. They put a heavy duty sticker with the date and time on it so you know if someone has tried to mess with your order or steal any items as the seal to the bag would be broken. But that's another story.
Today, I want to talk about a rudimentary scheme that I just learned about on NextDoor, the community app that people seem to either love or hate. Thanks to security cameras in a Los Angeles suburb, an Uber Eats driver was busted stealing the order he'd just delivered (he had an accomplice) and I'm betting this driver isn't the only one doing this and that this wasn't the only customer he's stolen from.
See the warning and video, which you can watch here. "If you use Uber Eats, beware of this driver/delivery guy, Jonathan! He stole our entire order after he placed it on our patio wall and took a picture of it to say it was delivered! He has a buddy in his car get out and wait to grab the food then jump back into his car! It's all on our cameras."
Watch the video here.
If this has happened to you, please share in the comments and be sure to report it to Uber and the police to keep these crooks off the street.
BTW: One way to prevent this is to never have the driver drop the food off somewhere but instead, have them hand deliver it. As Tayna D commented on the post, "In my notes I say 'hand it to me' - never drop off - mainly because these drivers would leave my food in my DRIVEWAY- like literally in the middle of my driveway...lazy...customer support will reimburse you and take away this guys driving privileges."
More Scams to Watch Out For
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