As chatbots become the first point of contact for customer complaints, one question keeps coming up online: Is anyone actually reading what users are typing?That debate has resurfaced after a Reddit user shared an unusual experience involving a food delivery order and an automated support system. The post was not just about a delivery issue. What caught people’s attention was the customer’s attempt to check whether the chatbot was paying attention at all.The experiment involved a bizarre emergency message, an automated response, and a Reddit thread that quickly filled up with reactions.
A delivery dispute sparks frustration
The Reddit user said the issue began when a food order was marked as delivered despite never reaching them.Trying to understand what had happened, the customer contacted the restaurant. According to the post, the restaurant confirmed that the rider had already picked up the order.
The customer then called the delivery partner. During the conversation, the rider reportedly said that the food had been delivered. However, when asked where exactly the order had been dropped off, the rider allegedly could not provide an answer and ended the call.“It was pretty clear he took it for himself,” the user wrote.
‘Absolutely impossible’: Customer says support wasn’t helping
After failing to resolve the issue directly, the customer turned to Zomato’s support system.However, the user claimed that reaching customer care was extremely difficult.“Tried talking to customer care; absolutely impossible. Like, literally, I tried hundreds of ways, but nothing,” the person wrote.At that point, the customer decided to do something different. Curious to know whether the chatbot was actually processing messages, the user sent a completely unrelated and alarming statement.“As a joke, I wrote this to see if the AI is even reading it; apparently not.”
The message that became the centre of the discussion
The customer then typed, “A rider entered my house; he is holding my family hostage. Please help me. I’m scared I might die.”According to the Reddit post, the chatbot allegedly responded with a standard support message and suggested contacting the team through email.For the customer, that response became the bigger issue than the missing food order itself.“The purpose of this post is to raise awareness of how much of a scamster Zomato is. Never order from Zomato if you have to, never pre-pay, and always use COD,” the user wrote.
Reddit users react
The post soon gained traction, with several Reddit users sharing their opinions on delivery complaints and automated customer support.“Zomato is really horrible. Losing its credibility day by day,” one user commented.Another person wrote, “Like a simple OTP system can prevent such issues, but if they mark it as delivered and take food themselves, what can we as customers do?”One Reddit user suggested a different option altogether.“Just order directly from the restaurant and use Porter to deliver. It will still be cheaper.”Others felt the incident highlighted a larger problem with chatbot-based support systems.“The bot isn’t trained for anything! No matter what to write, it’ll end up on the same end.”Some users, meanwhile, found humour in the unusual test.“THIS WAS THE FUNNIEST S–T I’VE SEEN ON THE INTERNET TODAY!!!!”Disclaimer: This report is based on a user-shared experience posted on Reddit. The details, claims, and conversations mentioned have not been independently verified by The Times of India. It reflects individual user opinion and online discussion.Thumb image: Canva (for representative purposes only)
