My Adventures as a Pizza Delivery Driver

I had been delivering pizzas for a good six months before I had my first irate customer. Most of the delivery drivers at work use their cell phone as a GPS. I personally like to use my GPS. I enter the address of where I am going into the GPS and the driving device talks to me, to my location, telling me exactly where to turn, and it lets me know when I am arriving at my customer's location.

I was working away one day at the store, and I heard my name being called, as I was the next one up for a delivery. I went up front, bagged my order up and headed outside. I entered the address of my customer's location into my GPS and away I went again, to deliver another pizza. After I was half-way across town, I realized something was not right. I was going the wrong way. My GPS was telling me I was “Miles” away from my customer. This could not be correct. I pulled over, off of the roadway, and got my cell phone to dial work. When whoever had answered the telephone at the store, I told them that I was lost and needed directions as to where I was headed. I got put on hold and waited patiently while somebody came back to the phone. The Manager on Duty at the store got on the phone and gave me directions to my customer's location. I was way across town on this delivery, and was indeed going the wrong way. Mistakes happen. Or at least that was what I was thinking to myself, as I was now driving the correct way to my customer's location.

When I finally arrived at my customer's house, many minutes after I had left the store with this order, the customer was outside waiting on me by his front curb. I thought, okay, this guy is just being nice, saving me a short walk to his front door. This was not the case. This customer started yelling at me, asking me where I had been with his order, what took me so long to get there and half of what he said went in one ear and out the other one. Then when he finally quit yelling at me, I tried to explain what had happened, he did not want to hear any of it. I gave him his order and he paid with cash. I could not get back in my car fast enough and drive away from this customer's house.

I was driving back to the store when my cell phone rang and it was the Manager on Duty. "That location you just left, you forgot their soda."

"Okay, I am headed back there at the moment."

I arrived back at the store, went inside and got the customer's two liter soda, went back outside, got back in my car and was on my way again to this man’s house. I drove as slow as I could, I did not want a second dose of what he was offering the first time around. I arrived back at this customer's house, parked my car and walked the two liter soda to the door. I rang the doorbell and a woman comes to the door to get the soda and she apologizes to me for how that her husband acted when I arrived with their food. I said, "Okay, fine, thanks. Have a good evening."

I got back in my car and was headed back to the store. By now, I was gone on one delivery way too long. My cell phone started ringing again, Really?, it is the store calling me again! What now! I answered the phone and the Manager on Duty was telling me to turn around once again and go back to where I was just at because the customer had forgotten to give me a tip. I thought about it for a minute and I decided not to return to this customer's house for a TIP, for I was half-way back to the store. I worked the rest of my shift and went home never wanting to have another irate customer again.