We deserve better - Luckily good pizza is everywhere

Let me start off by providing you with the timelines of my complaint. I trust this will express and support my frustration.

Tuesday, 4 September:

7:58PM - Order #475936 is place via the mobile app at Debonairs Pizza Engen Hatfield. Payment is made online via credit card.

8:45PM - The mobile app still reports that the order is being prepared, and I decide to contact the store to insure the order was received. After the 3rd attempt and around 10min of waiting in a call queue , the phone is finally answered. The Debonairs employee confirms the order was received and the driver is about to depart for delivery.

9:15PM - I phone the branch again as no delivery has happened. I am told by a different staff member to be patient. The driver has apparently left and should be arriving within 10min. At this stage the mobile app doesn't report the status of my order anymore. Not being prepared, not being delivered, nothing....

9:30PM - No delivery yet. I phone again. This time I get told that they are unable to reach the driver but that someone will phone me back within 5min.

9:40PM - No one phoned back. Yet again, I phone again. This time around I refuse to end the call and finally get put through to the store manager. His name is Jacob. He apologizes for the delay and again claim that they are not getting hold of the driver. He will however follow up and be in contact very shortly.

10:03PM - YES, THAT'S 2 HOURS AND 5 MINUTES since the original order. The manager calls back, but unfortunately has the same message to give me. They are unable to reach the delivery person. At this stage I am furious and trying to keep my blood pressure at normal levels. I simply tell the manager that I demand a refund and they should enjoy the pizza should it ever be located. The manager confirms that a driver will return my refund in person the following day.

10:15PM - Starving and frustrated, I get in my car and drive to the nearest McDonalds (2.5km away from my house) and to my surprise the Debonairs branch in question just so happen to be on the same property. I notice 4 or 5 white delivery s******s standing outside.

End of story....

Right, now that you know the timelines, I think there are numerous problems to be addressed.

The staff - Wow, what to say about them other than a "No regard attitude" towards the client that is quite abundant. The amount of times I was told to be patient is a clear example. Look at the timelines again and ask yourself, at which stage should a staff member have notified the manager of the delay? The process - Surely delivery is your main business, correct? I mean what percentage of your customers choose delivery vs walk-ins? Free delivery is what makes Debonairs attractive. So with delivery being so important, how does Debonairs insure a client receives his delivery? What happens when the driver has a s****** problem or is a victim of a road accident? Surely at some stage, having such an "advanced" mobile app and digital integration, should the manager be automatically notified of a delivery delay and intervene? The manager - The one person who we all rely on to make the problem go away, yet despite his polite behavior was unable to keep me calm and satisfied. "Pathetic" or "spineless" are unfortunately the only words that describe his attempt to resolve the issue. At no point was he willing to redo my order, arrange another delivery vehicle or offer me a refund. No, the demand for a refund had to be initiated from my end. This complaint will unlikely receive the attention it deserves. It will likely be filed and the manager will be asked to pay better attention next time.

Let me however assure you of one thing: Your franchise is dead to me and I will insure all my friends and family boycott you. We deserve better. Luckily competition is stiff and I'm sure Debonairs can't really afford too many of these slip-ups.