"Rider Didn't Arrive Even After 1 Hour, So Delivered Personally"…Self-Employed Sigh Over Bundle Deliveries

Low Delivery Fees but Delivery Delays
Restaurant Owners Sometimes Deliver Themselves
Controversy Over Delivery Platform System Issues

A (42), who runs a toast shop in Wonju, Gangwon-do, went out on foot to deliver orders himself last month despite snowy roads. This was because an hour and 30 minutes had passed since the food was prepared, yet the rider had not arrived at the store, leading to a flood of customer complaints. After completing the delivery, A made several inquiry calls to the platform but could not get through. Ultimately, A had to bear the loss without receiving the delivery fee back.

A delivery rider is passing through the streets of Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Since last year, delivery platforms have introduced a 'bundled delivery' service where one rider delivers multiple orders simultaneously, causing distress among self-employed business owners due to delivery delays. Because riders deliver several orders close to each other on the route at the same time, it is common for deliveries to be delayed by over an hour, and business owners end up bearing customer complaints and losses.

According to the delivery industry on the 18th, 'Baedal Minjok' and 'Coupang Eats' have been implementing a service since last year where one rider bundles orders with similar delivery routes and offers discounted delivery fees. In the case of Baedal Minjok's Altteul Delivery, the basic delivery fee (pickup fee 1,200 won · transfer fee 1,000 won · section fee 80 won per 100m) is about 800 won cheaper than the usual single delivery (average base delivery fee 3,000 won).

However, store owners complain that because riders have to perform multiple deliveries simultaneously, deliveries are significantly delayed during holidays or bad weather. A said, "When only single deliveries were done, riders were dispatched within at least 30 minutes," adding, "With Altteul Delivery, it is hard to get dispatched, and even if dispatched, it often takes riders over an hour to arrive at the store. It is easier to entrust delivery to an agency."

Many posts have recently been posted on an online community for self-employed people reporting damages due to delayed dispatch and late deliveries. One self-employed person lamented, "With Altteul Delivery, it takes over an hour for the rider to arrive," and "There are only a few orders, but customer complaint calls keep coming."

Another self-employed person said, "Delivery was delayed by 2 hours and 30 minutes, so I complained to the platform, but the counselor induced the customer to cancel the order," adding, "When I protested that they were arbitrarily inducing cancellations, they had nothing to say."

Disputes also arise between riders and store owners due to dispatch delays. C (48), who runs a chicken restaurant in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, sighed, "The owner gets angry because the rider doesn't come, and since riders have to deliver to many places, even a slight delay in cooking causes tempers to flare."

A rider receiving delivery food. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, riders say there is nothing they can do as delays are caused by route issues. B (33), who has been a rider for two years, explained, "While delivering, multiple Altteul Delivery orders pile up, causing the initial delivery to be delayed," adding, "Because we have to bundle similar sections, sometimes the app instructs us to deliver orders that came in later before earlier ones."

There are also criticisms that delivery platforms have imposed bundled delivery without resolving dispatch system problems, causing harm to riders and store owners.

Park Jeong-hoon, head of organization at the Rider Union, said, "Since platforms that introduced Altteul Delivery connect multiple dispatches, riders have no choice but to deliver excessively, and conflicts with self-employed people continue," adding, "Platforms need to advance their algorithms but are shifting responsibility onto riders and self-employed people."

In response, Baedal Minjok stated, "Since Altteul Delivery is conducted as bundled delivery, delivery times may be longer compared to single deliveries," but added, "However, delivery service quality is properly maintained, and many consumers order through Altteul Delivery because the delivery fee is cheaper."