China food delivery driver confronts customer who allegedly ate meal before filing refund claim, saying she did not receive food

A food delivery driver in Beijing went viral after confronting a customer who allegedly filed a fake refund claim, insisting she had not received her order despite the driver personally delivering the food on time.

According to Sinchew Daily, the incident, believed to have taken place at an office in Beijing's Chaoyang District, was captured on video and circulated widely on Chinese social media platforms Weibo and Douyin, drawing significant public backlash.

What happened

Sinchew Daily reported that the customer had ordered braised chicken for lunch.

Upon arriving at the office, the driver had called to confirm the delivery location before handing the order to the customer personally within the stipulated timeframe.

The customer then reportedly signed for the order and began eating shortly afterwards.

However, she later submitted a refund request through the delivery platform, claiming that she had never received the meal.

The platform subsequently approved the refund, resulting in the driver facing a fine and the possibility of further disciplinary action.

The driver, who said he had even asked the customer whether the food was too spicy when delivering the order, said he was stunned when he later received the notification from the platform.

He subsequently went back to the customer's office to confront her over the complaint.

Confronted the customer

In a video of the exchange, the driver confronted the customer in front her colleagues, one of whom appeared to be eating from a takeaway container.

"I called you and you answered. I handed it to you in person and you accepted it. You had already started eating while I was still waiting in the hallway," the driver said in the video.

The customer initially denied receiving the order, despite an empty takeaway container being visible on the table, Sinchew Daily reported.

She later changed her stance, accusing the driver of having a poor attitude after it became apparent that the evidence did not support her account.

The driver continued pressing her with questions, to which she repeatedly replied: "I don't know."

At one point, the customer pointed at the driver and told him to stop arguing.

She later appeared to reach for her phone, seemingly to call the police. However, her manager then emerged from his office and instructed the driver to leave.

The video ended before the dispute was resolved.

Public outrage

According to Sinchew Daily, the video sparked outrage online, with many netizens criticising the customer for allegedly attempting to obtain a free meal through a false complaint.

"People work hard to deliver food, and yet you try to dine and dash by making malicious complaints. You’re just bullying low-income workers," one commenter wrote.

Some netizens said food delivery platforms should review surveillance footage and other evidence more carefully to avoid penalising innocent workers.

Others said the most troubling aspect was the perceived exploitation of loopholes in platform policies at the expense of honest workers.

Many also pointed out that food delivery platforms in China impose strict performance standards on drivers, where a single complaint or negative review can cost them an entire day's earnings.

The incident also renewed broader discussions in mainland China over alleged abuse of platform policies, including malicious refund requests, customers returning goods after consumption, and fake negative reviews.

Some netizens have called on delivery platforms to introduce fairer dispute resolution and appeals processes to better protect frontline workers from wrongful complaints and systemic loopholes.