OAP holds Deliveroo to account
An Bath pensioner has spoken up about being “shut out” of Deliveroo after he couldn’t provide a mobile number.
Graham Wilson, 78, from Kingsmead, wanted to order a Chinese takeaway during lockdown as a nice change from constantly cooking for himself.
Graham, who was self-isolating at the time, was saddened when a Deliveroo customer service representative told him: “I’m really sorry we’re unable to complete the registration process without verifying a mobile number for security purposes.
“Our customers’ safety is our number one priority and we want to ensure we have all of the necessary steps in place to keep you and your details safe. Unfortunately, it’s not possible for me to do anything further without a mobile number to complete the registration process.”
Graham’s neighbour Judith said: “Graham has a landline and uses a laptop with ease, but this wasn’t good enough for Deliveroo.
“You cannot sign up for the company unless you have a mobile phone. He queried this with customer services, offering his landline number and email address.”
Judith said: “Deliveroo should be ashamed of themselves. Some of the very people who they should be anxious to serve in this pandemic are being shut out from their system.”
A spokesperson for Deliveroo said: “At Deliveroo we currently have an SMS verification process for new customers creating an account on both the app and website, which is in place for security reasons to prevent abuse and fraud.
“We do have plans in place to enable those who do not have or want a mobile phone to set up an account with Deliveroo using a landline via our website, and this new technology will be introduced widely in the near future.
“In the meantime, we have reached out to Graham personally to help him get set up with his own Deliveroo account, so whether he wants to order his next Chinese or order everyday essentials and groceries, he can do so safely with us.
“At Deliveroo our priority is making sure customers around the country of all demographics have access to the food they need and want, which is especially important during these uncertain times. We want our customers to know that we will make sure requests of this nature will be supported moving forward through our customer service team, until we are able to roll-out landline verification.”
Graham said he was delighted Deliveroo would set up an account for him and added: “I’d like to think this isn’t a ‘one-off’ because of publicity, and that others without mobile phones will be able to access the service in future.”