A woman who shared screenshots of the unsolicited messages she received from a takeaway food delivery driver has opened the floodgates for others to share similar experiences.
Michelle Midwinter tweeted screenshots of the unwanted messages alongside a response from food delivery service Just Eat.
On 13th January, Midwinter ordered a takeaway via the Just Eat app and was "very happy" with the order – until she received a WhatsApp message from the delivery man saying “Hy”. In the exchange that followed, he called her "baby", said he would "see [her the] next time" she orders food and told her to tell him if she had a boyfriend.
Just a snippet of Just Eat’s response to my receiving unsolicited messages from the guy who had just delivered my food. Nice one Just Eat! Apart from him using my number in this way surely being in breach of privacy laws etc, they don’t really seem to take it seriously do they?? pic.twitter.com/OVZkl0IW5f
— Michelle Midwinter (@ShelbyTree) January 15, 2018
"At first I was shocked at the fact someone could approach me in that way, but that turned to feeling very uncomfortable as I realised this guy had my name, address, and phone number," Midwinter told Refinery29. She said it's usually her boyfriend who answers the door and that "this has certainly never happened to him."
Midwinter didn't feel comfortable complaining to the restaurant directly as the man had her name, address and phone number, so she contacted Just Eat to see if they could intervene on her behalf.
Just Eat's initial response appeared to make light of her complaint. The company advised her to leave the restaurant a review and offered her a £5 voucher for the “inconvenience”, a response Midwinter described as "extremely disappointing". When she said that was insulting, the company offered her £10 off.
"Clearly there are no procedures put in place for incidents like this," Midwinter said. Indeed, countless other women have contacted her to say they've had similar experiences, not only with Just Eat but other companies and organisations, too. "This issue is much bigger and more widespread than I initially anticipated. We trust companies with our personal details and for them to be used in this way is unacceptable."
I stopped ordering delivery after a similar experience (delivery guy turned up w chocolates - totally unencouraged). Saved me money (good), left me feeling creeped out & unsafe (obvs not good)
— Bridget Beale (@brdgtbl) January 15, 2018
Both said the same thing! Didn’t even get a £10 voucher..they offered me nothing!! It wasn’t even my delivery driver who’d sent the messages..he passed my number onto another driver at the restaurant!!
— lucilluminati ♚ (@LucyOfficial_) January 15, 2018
Same thing happened to me and they just said to me ”what would you like us to do?” It’s ridiculous!!
— lucilluminati ♚ (@LucyOfficial_) January 15, 2018
This happened to me in 2008 when a Greenpeace street recruiter used my information to ask me for drinks and message me in the mornings to ask how my day was going.
— attacus (@attacus_au) January 15, 2018
To their credit, Greenpeace fired him.
After Midwinter's tweet gained traction – receiving nearly 7,000 tweets and around 14,000 likes at the time of writing – Just Eat said it would be investigating the case. A company spokesperson told Refinery29 that it takes its customers' safety and wellbeing seriously and that it was "deeply concerned" to hear about Midwinter's experience.
“This driver has acted in a way that does not represent Just Eat and our core values," the spokesperson told us, adding that the company was investigating the incident and engaged in an offline dialogue with Midwinter. "If [she] decides this is a criminal matter and reports it to the police, we will of course assist the police with any investigation.”
Just Eat said it only shares customer information with its restaurant partners "for the purpose of facilitating delivery", and that it was "continually reviewing [its] policies and practices to ensure they are robust.”
The spokesperson also said the company was "appalled" by the way Midwinter's initial complaint had been dealt with, saying it "lacked empathy" and that it was taking action "to ensure this doesn't happen again". We certainly hope not.
Read These Next
Is This Instagram Behaviour Sketchy Or Chill?
Tindstagramming Is The Creepy New Dating Trend You Need To Know
Why Do We Feel The Need To Constantly Message Our Partners?
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
This Is How Often Brits Actually Wash Their Bed Sheets