Chinese New Year is the time for family gatherings and reunion dinners.

For convenience sake, or lack of culinary prowess, it usually leads to increased bulk orders from restaurants.

These two factors sometimes combine together to form a simmering stew of drama.

Crab delivery runs late

Janelle Tan shared on Facebook the unexpected trouble she encountered when ordering from Big Fatty Crab on Jan. 20.

This is a rather convoluted story, so we will lay out a brief synopsis first.

1. Customer orders food from Big Fatty Crab, slated for delivery at the 7-8pm slot.

2. After some not so helpful back and forth with the restaurant, it turns out the driver was involved in an incident and can only make it about an hour after the slated delivery time.

3. Food is cold, customer not satisfied.

4. Customer writes about her dissatisfaction.

5. Restaurant is triggered, and writes back.

Tan also attached screenshots of her conversation with the restaurant.

Based on the screenshot and her other posts, the driver informed Tan that he was caught in an accident somewhere between 8.18pm and 8.27pm.

Tan then posted a negative one-star review on their Facebook page detailing the incident.

This lead to an angry rebuke by Big Fatty Crab.

Here is their response.

Hi Janelle, do read through the replied Whatsapp. My staffs already aplogised for the delay at the 1st notice after knowing our driver is late.

Yes, he had a accident along the way while delivering to you as explained. No one wanted this to happen to the poor driver who work hard enough to send your order through jam traffic caused by heavy rain throughout the whole day. Please have some compassionate over this.

Believe it or Is not a fake accident story that we cooked up. Is a real one. He was busy settling the accident issue that's why no update was given till later time. The poor man also aplogised for his late delivery to you due to the accident that he had.

Do he have to go on his knee to ask for your forgiveness?

From my point of view as a boss of BFC. Yes, my man was late but that's because of an accident which can be forgiven. What cannot be forgiven here is after aplogies & explaination given by my staff n delivery guy. You still got so upset.

As a boss, I see the facts right or wrong. I would rather choose to protect my staffs to lose a customer who got no heart to feel sorry for the poor guy who just had accident while delivering your order.

This led to a very lengthy back and forth which you can read at your own leisure here.

But the gist of the conversation is basically this.

Customer: You should have informed us that the delivery would be nearly an hour late.

Fatty Crab: Our rider got into an accident, and we apologised so you should be more understanding.

Customer: But we would not have known about the accident if the rider had not called us himself, shouldn't you be more proactive in ensuring the customer is kept in the loop over deliveries that run an hour late?

Fatty Crab: Our rider got into an accident, and we apologised so you should be more understanding.

Customer: Yes, we aren't blaming the rider, but shouldn't the management do a better job in terms of customer service.

Fatty Crab: Our rider got into an accident, and we apologised so you should be more understanding.

Customer service

Perhaps the best evidence of a disconnect between their customer's issue, and their very own stance is this exchange at the end.

Where, in response to Tan's final comment.

Fatty Crab replied as such.

Free publicity.

Here's another article to check out while you're here:

8 unconventional ways to make your ang pow money work for you this CNY

Here’s how you can give $8.88 ang pows to drivers who are driving you to reunion dinner this CNY’s eve

Top photo via Big Fatty Crab

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