Hyderabad: P2P parcel service users face hiccups

Hyderabad: High-demand app-based Person to Person (P2P) delivery service offered by Ola, Uber, Rapido, Blinkit etc. which allows the exchange of food, groceries, medicines or any essential items with family and friends is reportedly facing disappointment from the users. The users are finding it hard to track the undelivered parcels.

The bike taxi apps are a new on-demand delivery service where customers can request to pick and drop the essentials from one customer to another. According to its users, they lost their essentials when not delivered. They alleged that once the parcel is out for delivery, it had not reached the receiver for various reasons.

Divya Khatri, a frequent customer who usually uses the service on Rapido said "I sent a gift pack to my friend last week but the parcel was not delivered to my friend. It was to be delivered within 30 minutes. The reason, the delivery man mentioned that the receiver was not at the location." She said "However, my friend was at her location, but the person could not find the exact location and by trying 2-3 times the person cancelled the deal and asked me to collect from the delivery service point. I could not track and later I lost the parcel," she said.

Likewise, several such complaints were raised by its users that they could not find the undelivered parcels.

The P2P on-demand delivery service for those who are not able to step out of their homes for essentials or have run out of certain essential items, in times of need. Shahid Ali, another often user of Uber said, "When this service was introduced for making our life easy, it should have made an easy source to get return when it was not delivered. When I called the delivery man, he did not respond. And it is yet to be received."

Aneri Seth, another user said, there is a technical glitch in all apps related to locations in the service. Due to which it is being cancelled by the delivery persons for various reasons. The service needs to be updated."

The social media too is flooded with such grievances where people are finding difficulties in getting back their undelivered parcels.

Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union National general secretary, Shaik Salauddin said the P2P delivery service is provided with the return service of the parcel when not delivered to its destination. These app-based services have multiple access to deliver the parcel and to return it back when not delivered.

"When the parcel was not delivered, the sending customer can get it returned with the procedure along with extra delivery charges. Or else they can receive it from the app service point by contacting the service care," he added.

In most of the cases, the delivery person will do his best to deliver the parcel, if not delivered it is also a loss to him especially in COD services. "Most of its users are unaware of such procedures and lose their essential parcels," he pointed out.