Hire a Runner for Pasar Ramadhan? Never Again!

 *sigh*

I rarely rant and vent on this blog, but what I’m about to share really pissed me off. If you’ve been following my Instagram, you would have noticed my string of food postings during Ramadhan (license to eat kannnnn) and my excitement over the spread over at Param TTDI. My absolute favorites were pulut udang TTDI and tepung pelita Paya Jaras. And these goodies are not easy to get, mind you. I was constantly turned off by the longgggg queue for pulut udang, hence once I made it a point to queue up early (even before they started the bara api) and was number 4 in queue for approximately half hour in the hot sun. A makcik in front of me told me that she was late the day before and queued for over an hour and a half, only to find out that they had sold out. But the effort, was absolutely worth it. The pulut is plump and firm to the touch, and tak kedekut inti. Pulut pun lembut when you bite into it. It was really really good!

After that Instagram post, a friend told me that she wanted to try the same and shared how she hired a runner to go and get the pulut udang and tepung pelita... Imagine, a runner! I laughed at the absurdity of the idea, but loved her sense of creativity.

After mulling it over and thinking of how we are in the era or GoGets and Grabs, I warmed up to the idea of hiring a runner to get my share of pulut udang and tepung pelita for the day. Coincidentally, we were going to my in-laws for iftar so I wanted to let them try the glorious pulut udang. I contacted the same runner that my friend used and asked whether they could accommodate to my request, and they agreed.

I sent them my order and was very explicit that I wanted everything from Param TTDI. I ordered pulut udang TTDI, tepung pelita Paya Jaras, murtabak, nasi briyani and popiah basah. I was then inspired by one of their postings on IG - about how they could get the famous cheese burger at TTDI as well, hence I added that to my order too. Mind you, they never said that they couldn’t do it. And I in turn never doubted their capability. Yer lah, they delivered on my friend’s order, and even proudly proclaimed on IG that they are able to purchase from any specific bazaar ramadhan, siap hashtag #yesthelongqueueisreal.

At about 530pm, I got a call from the runner. He said that tepung pelita Paya Jaras tak bukak and boleh tak if dia beli tepung pelita Warisan instead. Masa tuh I was feeling quite skeptical already. I asked him a few times, kenape tutup? Because I was just there the day before and it was open as usual. In the end I grudgingly agreed. Then he asked me, ada nak beli apa apa from a different pasar ramadhan ke? I firmly answered no; “Saya nak semua dari Param TTDI.” By then I was already worried - kalau pukul 530pm baru nak sampai at the bazaar, dapat ke dia pulut udang tuh? According to experience, they typically sell out quite early.

7pm rolled in and there was no sign of my order. I called the same number that called me earlier, and got no answer. Nak sedap kan hati, I thought maybe he was driving. I then received a text saying that he's running late. Finally at 740pm (my in laws and my family had to berbuka minum air jer sebab all our food were ordered from them), the runner arrived. Imagine my frustration and anger when I opened the package to discover that I only received pulut udang, burger and popiah basah!

To make things worse, the pulut udang wasn’t even the one that was from TTDI. I tau lah, I queued up for it and know how it looks like and tastes like. I’m not just any jolly customer who wants to jump on the bandwagon and try it for the first time. The pulut udang TTDI is nicely packed and clipped at the ends with lidi, and wrapped in newspaper so that it doesn’t berpeluh. The one I received... not only was it kurus gila tak cukup inti, it was rentung! Ends were clipped with staplers and arrived in a red plastic bag. Potong jari I lah if that is the famous pulut udang TTDI . The tepung pelita yang kononnya dari Warisan tuh, langsung tak nampak batang hidung. The popiah basah was so-so (definitely not from pakcik kepiah in TTDI) and the burger was soggy.

A picture I took while I was in queue for pulut udang TTDI. I was fourth in queue then, and saw with my own eyes how many pieces they brought to site. Memang confirm kalau datang lambat, sure habis! 

See how plump the pulut is? Note that the ends are clipped with lidi.

I was so disappointed. Dah la Hubby and I dah canang nak jamu my in laws with food yang viral from Param TTDI, but in the end this was what we got. Memang bengang sangat but thinking that this is our test for Ramadhan, I calmed down. I texted them to say that I didn’t get my full order. They replied and said “Let me check with them”, but of course lah, no feedback afterwards. The next day and two days after I even texted them to ask how much was the total and how can I pay, but didn’t receive a reply. You can view my WhatsApp conversation below:

Eid came and went, and last week I received a text from a completely different number, and this one had the cheek to say, “Hi! XXX from lazybum here. Just checking, For your pasar Ramadan orders on 10/6 the other day u have not made payment right?” And then she listed my full order... including those that I did not receive!

Oh I went livid. I got so pissed off. Dah la your service sucks, with zero apologies whatsoever, you advertise of your ability to purchase something that is viral and deliver something completely different .... and now you have the cheek to charge me for something that I did not get???!!! What kind of communications do you run in your business? I absolutely lost it. And when I protested, he/she said, “I’m just collecting the bills on behalf of Puan XXX, u can bring it up with her.”

Wow. Just wow.

In the end he/she said that they’ve gotten to the bottom of the issue, and apparently my order was delivered to someone else in Subang. I finally got my bill (with zero offsets despite my sheer show of displeasure with their service... tapi takpe, I pun tak hadap nak discount bagai)... And I’ve made my payment hence I’m now free to speak my mind. You can view the WhatsApp conversation below:

Why am I so unhappy? I am unhappy on so many levels. The first one that irked me the most is the fact that they blatantly lied about the service that they can deliver. Kalau memang tak boleh nak dapat kan viral food that require long queues and all, then just say so. Jangan pulak pegi beli pulut udang tempat lain and try to pass it off as the correct order. Don’t advertise something that you can’t deliver.

Secondly, poor customer service. I clearly said that I didn’t get what I ordered. Zero follow up whatsoever after that. I asked for the bill, no replies. And then two weeks later you bill me for something that I didn’t get. And when I protest, you say you’re not aware. Yes I know, don’t shoot the messenger. But sometimes being a tad more sensitive on how you reply to messages can go miles in customer service.

And of course I saved the best for last. This one absolutely takes the cake. Why am I so unhappy? Well guess who’s photo they used to advertise their so called Param service for pulut udang TTDI? MINE! Hey, give credit where credit is due. Jangan main cilok gambar orang jer and then use it to advertise your service. Here’s a snapshot of their IG posting. Despite the photo being zoomed in, I know it’s the same photo that I posted on my own personal IG. Feel free to compare it at your own time and leisure.

OK, end of rant. Thanks for reading.