It was an unexpected act of kindness by a Foodpanda rider that touched Charlene Pagayon Rosco’s heart, and helped change her views on the capabilities of the disabled.
Last Saturday (Jan 4), Rosco submitted an order for Popeyes via the Foodpanda app.
Unfortunately, Rosco accidentally used the incorrect address (Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre) when making her order. This caused the Foodpanda rider, Muhammad Nur Syahir to take Rosco’s food there, instead of her home in Braddell.
Realising her mistake, Rosco asked Syahir if he could deliver her food to Braddell instead, and offered to pay him for the inconvenience.
Syahir declined the offer initially, as the hotel was quite a distance from Rosco’s home, so she offered him her food instead, and told him she would transfer him the payment for her order regardless.
However, Syahir had a change of heart and decided to make a round trip of almost thirty minutes, travelling to Braddell (which was eight kilometres away) just to deliver the food to Rosco, much to her surprise.
She told The Pride: “I felt overwhelmed that Syahir really put in his maximum effort to do his job well, and deliver my food despite my mistake. I had already told him that he can have my lunch, and that I’ll pay him via Paynow, but he still went the extra mile to provide excellent service to me. As a customer, it feels really great, and his kind act certainly made my day.”
Rosco added that she believes Syahir – who is deaf – eventually decided to deliver the order to her because he was kind at heart.
“In our messages, he asked me if I was hungry, to which I replied that I was. Maybe, as a good-hearted person, knowing that I was hungry made him concerned for me, and so he decided to go the extra mile to ensure that I would get my food,” explained Rosco.
“It also opened my eyes to the fact that just because you’re disabled, it does not mean you cannot excel at your job. Syahir may be deaf, but it does not stop him from providing such excellent service towards customers like myself.”
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Rosco tipped Syahir for making the extra effort to deliver the food to her, before taking to Facebook to share about Syahir’s act of kindness.
The post has since gone viral, garnering more than 7,500 reactions and over 2,900 shares. Netizens on Facebook have also commented on the post to praise Syahir for his actions.
Wrote Facebook user Elaine Kuek: “There are still amazing (people) around! So proud of you to go the extra mile!” Another user, Stephanie Wong, added: “Kudos to Mr Syahir, such excellent service towards customers. Thumbs up.”
Other netizens also commended Rosco for being a gracious customer. Tejs Ngo wrote: “Right people, right timing. You (Rosco) are just as excellent…some customers will simply cancel (the) order even if it’s their own mistake, and…delivery riders have to bear the costs… Kudos to both of you!”
Rosco, who works in customer service, said she hopes that sharing this story would inspire others.
“It had a great impact on me, as it reminded me to continue doing what is right, and to always be kind to others,” said Rosco. “Because one’s simple act can go a long way to helping someone else, or even change someone else’s life for the better.
“I am glad that my post has reached out to so many out there and I hope that it will inspire them to always have a kind heart, because kindness is a gift that everyone can afford.”