The most aggravating things about being a driver 4. People who blame the driver because it was late. The driver does not control the store's timing. He or she is only a messenger. Ninety-nine percent of the time, it was not the driver's fault. We were very busy and could not get to your order until completing those before you. Excuse me for working on a busy night. Sometimes the phone people give the wrong delivery time estimate. They say 45 minutes because it's normal, without knowing it was really 75 minutes. If your order is late, please understand that we were very busy and running behind. Don't take it out on the driver by lowering or withdrawing the tip. The driver is on your side. We want it delivered as soon as possible. That way, we can make more money by delivering more orders in our shift. That's how the system works. When the store is busy, it's first-come first-served and there's nothing more a driver can do. Management is the real cause of late pizzas. They often have more deliveries than the number of scheduled drivers can handle. Sometimes it is impossible to predict how busy the night will be and the sheer number of orders becomes too much. Sometimes they are a driver short because of car problems. When the driver notices the cook messed up, it must be re-made. It will take at least 15 minutes longer and we sometimes tell you. This is no reason to punish the driver by lowering the tip. At night, if you don't turn on your porch light, you should wonder how the driver found you. If you have no house numbers, be grateful for psychic drivers. These circumstances make delivery take longer. There's no reason to punish the driver for something that was your fault. The delivery time estimate is just that, an estimate. It's not meant to be an exact time. You have no right to be angry if it's five or ten minutes late. When your pizza is running late, please don't ask the driver if he was lost. We do know what we're doing and getting lost is really an impossibility. I want to say, "No, I didn't get lost. Your house has been in the same place it has been for the last five years I've been delivering to you." When we're busy, it means the driver works even harder. This is the wrong time to get lower tips! Last updated: August 8, 2008 return to top