Delivery Agent's Ordeal Exposes Customers' Lack of Empathy for Gig Workers in India

On 2025-09-26T10:08:05+00:00, a delivery agent's ordeal in a building with a broken lift has sparked a social media firestorm, raising concerns about customer treatment of gig workers in India. The incident, which occurred just last week, involved a seventh-floor resident who had placed an online food order despite the building's lift being out of service for two days.

When the delivery agent reached the building and called the customer, he requested that the customer meet him halfway to ease the effort, as he would have to climb four floors while the customer descended three. However, the customer insisted that the agent carry the order all the way up to the seventh floor.

This incident has ignited a heated debate online, with many users pointing out that customers should show more empathy for delivery workers, who often spend long hours on the road for minimal pay. Some argued that the customer should have mentioned the lift issue in the app and offered a small tip for the extra effort, while others reflected frustration at how certain sections of the middle class and newly rich treat service workers.

Not everyone agreed with the criticism, as some argued that the customer had technically not done anything wrong, as the delivery person had agreed to deliver the food regardless of the floor.