Lalamove updates guidelines after delayed ‘Priority’ order complaints

Riders push back against Priority rules, cite low delivery fees.

Lalamove has updated its guidelines around Priority deliveries following long-standing complaints from customers about delays despite the service being advertised as the fastest option.

The delivery app began displaying an advisory to users earlier this week, reminding them that Priority deliveries must be fulfilled first by riders. “PRIORITY orders should always be delivered FIRST,” the pop-up notice reads.

“To ensure the quality of our service, we’ve implemented enhancements to further improve the quality of your Priority Orders,” the notice adds.

Lalamove encouraged users to report unreasonable delays, uncontactable drivers, incorrect order statuses, and drivers requesting extra fees through its in-app customer service.

The advisory follows months-long customer complaints about Priority deliveries that arrived only after several hours, despite promises of instant service.

In August, radar Business reported that customers were receiving Priority orders hours after the originally listed arrival times. In some cases, the pickup location was only a few kilometers away, making the prolonged wait even more puzzling for customers.

The Lalamove website lists three delivery options for customers: Regular, Priority, and Pooling. It generally describes Regular as standard delivery, Priority as the fastest option, and Pooling as the most affordable choice.

Official descriptions for the three delivery options have also been updated alongside the new advisory, but Priority delivery is now explained in less specific terms.

Where the website used to specify that Priority orders cannot be grouped with another order, the description now reads, “Order is first to be delivered, straight to the Drop-off point.”

Lalamove still recommends customers book Priority for perishable and time-sensitive deliveries.

Posts from Lalamove riders suggest they had already been made aware of the new guidelines by early October. In a riders’ group on Facebook, users said they would still opt to group other orders with Priority bookings due to low fares, especially amid gasoline price hikes.

One rider insisted he would still group Priority items with Regular and Pooling orders, even at the risk of receiving low ratings and customer reports.

“Simple lang, kung ayaw nio sabayan ang booking, taas taasan niyo yung Fare Delivery kung ayaw niyo talaga kaming mag-double booking, hangga’t sobrang baba ng fare asahan niyo na magsasabay pa rin ng booking, wala na kaming pakialam sa ratings at report, mag-early arrived pa rin kami para kumita kami at maka-double booking kami,” the rider commented.

Another rider said the new guidelines pose a disadvantage for riders handling long-distance deliveries booked under Priority.

“Wag na daw sabayan ang Priority, Tanza Cavite to Antipolo Rizal 300, ‘yan lang daw dalhin mo, aray kooo pooo lamog kumikita ka ng paldo, rider mo lamog ang motor,” he wrote.

The riders’ comments suggest that enforcing the new guidelines may prove difficult if delivery fees remain too low to make single-order trips worthwhile. While customers pay extra for Priority service, Lalamove still faces the challenge of ensuring riders follow the rules despite concerns over their earnings.

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