real life

Lauren ordered a pizza. Then a threatening letter appeared on her doorstep.

Ordering a pizza is one of those straightforward modern day processes nobody thinks twice about.

Browse a menu; pick your poison (Hawaiian. Always Hawaiian.); place the order (online, of course, because here’s to minimal human contact); punch in your credit card details and hey presto, there’s a pizza at your door.

But one Californian woman’s experience has allegedly turned dangerously sour after she crossed a disgruntled delivery man.

Listen: A creepy form of harassment you may not know about. 

Lauren Ledford said she came home to find a four-page handwritten letter left on her door threatening to rob her, simply because she did not leave a tip. In the letter, the driver – who admits he was on drugs when writing it – claims he needs the extra tip money to stay “toasty”.

“You not tipping is making it so I’m actually losing money working this job,” the letter reads.

“So please, next time tip your delivery driver. And if it turns out that delivery driver is me again, and you do not tip yet again, I’m probably going to rob you.”

Ledford told KTLA 5 News that she believed the man to be “very unstable”. Redondo Beach police are now investigating the matter as a potential criminal threat.

After recovering from her initial shock, Ledford said she worked out who the delivery driver was because the only pizza order she made in the last two months was from Postmates – a US food delivery service similar to UberEats. Ledford claims she received no response from Postmates after reporting the incident to the company.

“I originally emailed them right when I got it and I said I have a very threatening letter on my door. I need someone to call me immediately,” she told KTLA 5 News.

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“No-one reacted at all.”

Ledford then took to social media to warn others against using Postmates, which is when she says she was “flooded with responses”. Postmates then informed her that they had suspended the driver in question, however, they were still refusing to release his identity to her. Ledford claims she is still extremely concerned for her safety.

PLEASE READ and BE AWARE Yesterday, I came home to a 4 page letter left on my door from a @postmates delivery man….

Posted by Lauren Olivia Ledford on Friday, 28 July 2017

“I am now terrified that this man could show up any day,” she wrote.

“He let me know who knows what a disgruntled delivery driver who can’t afford to eat that day is capable of.”

Postmates has since released a statement expressing their apologies for Ledford’s experience and their readiness to co-operate with police.

“Harassment of any kind is not tolerated on the Postmates platform,” it read.

“We are sincerely sorry for this customer’s experience.

“We have removed this independent contractor from the platform. We stand ready to co-operate with law enforcement.”

Ledford is intending to pursue charges in this matter and take out a restraining order against the driver.