Woman Thought She Was Pranked By GrabFood Rider, Who Turned Out To Be Deaf

Deaf GrabFood rider persists delivery despite physical limitations

We often overlook simple acts of kindness and consideration for others, especially in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. But these small kind acts can go a long way for those on the receiving end, as shown by restaurant servers touched by customers stacking up their tableware after dining in not too long ago.

Serving as a reminder to all that sometimes it only takes a second to be considerate to others, this Malaysian woman shared on Facebook how she thought she was being pranked by a GrabFood delivery rider when she received several silent phone calls from the same number after placing an order online. But it turned out that her GrabFood rider was deaf and had speech difficulties, which led him to leave several calls on her phone to alert her of messages he sent.

Woman shares story of meeting deaf GrabFood rider

The story, which has since gone viral and been covered by several news outlets, was shared by Bonda Nor on her Facebook page on 23rd February 2021. According to the post, she wrote down the experience to remind her future self to be more considerate of others if she were to ever encounter a similar situation, and to humbly share that “Sometimes when we think other people are in the wrong, it turns out that we are wrong”.

She starts off her post by sharing that she had placed an order through GrabFood, and received an update soon after that her rider would be dropping off her food around 6.15PM. However, after 30 minutes, she was left frustrated as the rider still hadn’t showed up with her order.

Snippet of Bonda’s story shared on Facebook
Image adapted from: Bonda Nor

During this time, she received several calls from a number, but opted to leave the calls unanswered as she didn’t pick up calls from unknown numbers. But she decided to make an exception as her order was late and she was worried that her GrabFood rider was having a difficult time finding her house address.

When she did pick up the phone call, however, the line was completely silent. This happened several times, so she thought that the rider was pranking her and “playing games” with her.

Image credit: Bonda Nor

It was not until her order was 45 minutes late that she decided to check her GrabFood app. It was then that she realised that the rider had left her several messages on the app asking for her location. He also shared with her that he was deaf and had speech difficulties. The reason for the “prank” calls was to alert her of the messages he had sent.

Bonda wrote that she “felt terrible” and was “angry” with herself after the incident. Despite only being paid a small RM3 delivery fee for her order, he had persisted for 45 minutes under the darkening skies trying to find her house even though her did not answer his messages. Because of that, she left a RM10 tip – the highest tip allowed on GrabFood’s app – for him.

Meet-up with the rider

Bonda shared in another Facebook post, dated 2nd March, that she has since met the GrabFood rider, Rizuam, and 2 other individuals, Asyraf and Muhsin, after her story went viral to apologise to him and pass on donations of RM5,000 she collected in his name from her academy group and Kaedah Membaca Ekspres-i.

She also noted Rizuam’s dedication to his work, as she saw him sporting a leg injury after a recent collision with a buffalo on his motorcycle as he was working late.

With helpful translations from Asyraf, who helped connect her to Rizuam, she learned that Rizuam works from 10AM-10PM as a rider, and receives only 5-star ratings from customers. She also learned that Rizuam had initially thought of giving up on her delivery order after being unable to locate her house, but persisted anyway.

Image credit: Bonda Nor

Netizens share their own stories of dedicated GrabFood riders

Bonda’s story of her first meeting with Rizuam received over 3,000 shares and 7,000 reactions, a testament to how much her story resonated with Malaysians. Some came out to thank her for humbly sharing her story, and took it as a lesson for all to be considerate of others. Faridah Said commented, “This is sad. Let this be a lesson to us all to always be kind to everyone.”

Image adapted from: Faridah Said

Others also took to the comment section to share stories of dedicated food delivery riders that they have come across too. Facebook user Dya Farezah shared her experience in a lengthy comment of meeting a mute delivery rider:

“I faced a similar situation. My delivery rider messaged me for my location. I immediately called him, because I thought it would be easier to direct him through a call. But he didn’t pick up. So I messaged him and asked why he didn’t pick up. He responded by asking me to just share my location. I got mad. Anyway, he finally found my place. When he arrived, I asked him how much my order cost because I forgot. He then proceeded to signal the amount to me. I felt really horrible then, because I was throwing a fit at home. And the rider just happened to be mute. After [this incident], I’m very careful about ordering food in consideration of OKU people. I suggest that food rider apps let customers know that they are OKU citizens.”

Facebook user Dya Farezah share her encounter with a mute delivery rider
Image adapted from: Dya Farezah

Many commenters also took the chance to raise awareness on the plight of riders, whether or not they have physical limitations, as a reminder to always be considerate as we never know what happens behind the scenes. Netizen Nour El Syams, for one, left a comment about an incident she faced, “Bonda, I had a similar experience once. One time, my order was really late. Turns out, the food delivery rider had got into an accident. His friend had to contact me to let me know about the incident. Since then, I always message my rider to drive safely, because it pains me to think about the incident.”

Image adapted from: Nour El Syams

Woman’s experience with deaf GrabFood rider

Food delivery riders have become unsung heroes during the various stages of the MCO, with stories of them rescuing homeless animals and clearing debris off roads cropping up on social media. They have shown themselves to be pretty dedicated too, as exemplified by Rizuam, who spent 45 minutes trying to navigate to a house address despite his physical limitations.

We appreciate Bonda for sharing her story, which is a humbling reminder to all to be considerate of others in all situations.

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Cover image adapted from: Bonda Nor and @tamashiun (for illustration purposes only)