Internet outrage and even a fund drive for a pizza delivery driver have followed a YouTube video posting that shows the driver being threatened and mocked after being forced to return what he believed was a tip given by a Westport used car dealership.
The video, which appeared to have been taken by a security camera at the dealership, has since been yanked from YouTube (but not before it was copied and reposted on other sites including Liveleak, Reddit under such titles as “Idiots hassling a pizza delivery guy”). The dealership’s owner and son have reportedly apologized to the pizza business. Still, the angry postings pour in.
The incident stemmed from an order to Palace Pizza called in by a used car dealership identified in on-line postings as F&R Auto Sales, Westport.
A Palace Pizza spokeswoman was quoted by Boston.com as saying that the bill came to $42 and change for pizzas and soda.
When the food was delivered, the delivery man was handed $50 — two $20 bills and two $5 bills.
In the video, the driver, identified by Boston.com as Jarrid Tansey, tells the F&R office staffers that he had confirmed the total payment amount before leaving with what he thought was a tip. Upon returning to the pizza shop, he was told that the car dealership had called, saying it wanted its $7 and change back.
“It just doesn’t make sense why you would pay me a bill that you were just going to have me drive back here to give back anyway,” he tells a man sitting in a chair. “It’s not like I just took off, I explained … ”
“Hey, hey, let’s not be mad,” says a woman standing next to him.
“I’m not mad, I just had to waste my resources coming back here,” he replies. “You got your $7 back so the world is right now.”
As he starts to leave (without any tip), the same woman says, “Out the door before I put my foot in your a**, how’s that,” to loud laughter from some of the five others in the room.
After which another seated man shouts “Far out! … Get the f***ing owner and the manager on the phone. I want that m******’s job. I want him fired.”
Boston.com reports that F&R’s owner and son visited the pizza shop Wednesday to apologize. The story also quotes a pizza shop employee as saying that they’ve had issues with the auto dealership in the past.
Calls by Shorelines to F&R did not go through — the phone line produces a continuous busy signal even late at night. Also, repeated attempts to load the business website were unsuccessful.
One Yelp poster said the incident had a silver lining for him:
His business school instructor had assigned them to write about “‘Why small businesses fail,’ and informed us that we’d have to purchase a new edition textbook if we wanted a chance at an ‘A’. Fortunately, after a quick internet search, I found the story of F&R Auto Sales. After reading about their inappropriate behavior …, I was able to compose my entire research paper. Imagine my surprise when I received the highest grade in the class!”