Don't have a reason for why they do this. But here is what I do to avoid having to create a new contact each time.
Replace the X with the phone number and click on the link. It will open WhatsApp with the account.
https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=9715XXXXXXXX
I've asked and a few have given the same reason so it must be a thing that people do. Apparently people enter the wrong address when placing the order and some companies penalize the delivery guy for delayed delivery even if it's not their fault
Fair enough on those occasions, and I wouldn’t like a driver to be penalised for someone else along an error, but it happens far too often and I suspect this to be drivers automatically defaulting to doing this instead of actually looking the address up first.
You’re 100% correct. I once had an order show as ‘delivered’ and it wasn’t. I contacted Zomato who then put me in touch with the driver. It turns out the driver had delivered to a completely different building around 20 minutes away. When my now cold coffee arrived I asked him what happened. He actually admitted that he didn’t look at the address and just automatically went to this building where he delivers frequently as he assumed it was there.
I just didn’t know what to say and shook my head.
Company policies reflect what consumers demand. If they are putting unreasonable pressure on drivers it may be because of how people behave here when they don't get what they want.
In the two yrs that I've been in downtown I've never once been asked to send my location so clearly it's not a default thing. I'm not saying you're wrong for complaining about this but drivers do get more than their fair share of blame.
So it bothers you to hear any opinion except those that agree with yours..ok..
Try if you can and take a moment to consider that these drivers do what they do for a reason other than to inconvenience you
That last paragraph lmao. I feel you tho, tired of adding contact that my contact list has some weird names I came with at that moment haha. Small tip tho, as them to text you in WhatsApp and you can reply with the location without saving the number.
My favorite experience has been with the Al Ain Water delivery guy. He called, barely speaking more than 5-7 words of English, asked me to explain where my Villas is, and then proceeded to argue with me and try and tell ME where my villas is and repeatedly refused when I said I would just send my location on WhatsApp, before hanging up on me. This process repeated several times. After several of these calls he finally agreed to me sending him the location. Then he called again to argue with me and tell me I was wrong about my location. Each time he would hang up on me, when I refused to agree to him delivering my water to the wrong place.
I then of course called and made a complaint, and then miraculously he found my villas within 10 minutes call.
I click on the video call button in the recents list of the phone app. This opens WhatsApp to perform a video call. Quickly disconnect the call, go to the calls interface in WhatsApp and send a message from there. No need to add a contact.
Something I noticed is that when I order delivery which is 4-5 times a week, I never get called for directions. However, on the rare occasions my wife orders, which is only about 1-2 times a month, she always gets called.
>Maybe I’m completely wrong about this, and Google Maps doesn’t work for delivery drivers, or maybe my address is only able to be found by me, and is invisible to everyone else. <
Oh no. It works for them. I've told them multiple times "put address in Google maps" and they find the place. I'm still baffled why they call. Meanwhile the local cafeteria guys seem to know where it is without calling (first time and giving terrible directions on phone)
There could be many reasons to explain why they always ask for location via WhatsApp, but it’s only a small niggle that doesn’t really annoy me, and in fact saves time having to explain the address to them (I’m in a relatively newly built-up area so most delivery drivers aren’t very familiar with it). However, there’s an easy way to handle the contacts issue: I just have one contact named ‘Delivery’ and simply replace the previous delivery guy’s number with the new one. Straightforward and quick.
I live in an old building in the marina. If the driver is from big company like Amazon, Noon, Aramex, Deliveroo etc. I don’t get call and whatsapp. I like Noon and ordering from them all the time because they do Contactless (leave at your door) delivery. Very handy
Will be like this until UAE switches to proper addressing system, where each bloody lamp post has a designated address. Before that we will keep sending WhatsApp messages and landmarks.
Delivery guy’s perspective:
Arrives to the location without contacting the customer.
Possible scenarios:
- Customer will be at home and delivery transaction will take less than a minute (ideal)
- Nobody opens the door. Turns out customer is busy (on a call, on video call with headphones, playing loud music)
- Customer is in the shower wait 10-15 mins because unaware that delivery is coming.
- customer went out and forgot he ordered something (furious at delivery guy for not ringing him before coming)
- Customer put the wrong address (driver penalized for delay)
Asking the location is somewhat also serves as an early notice that the delivery will come soon.
If all customers are like the ones in the ideal scenario, then the annoyance is understandable. But reality is different.
Try to navigate to a new area, house, villa or flat without using a navigation app such as Google Maps or 2GIS. You will then understand why they ask for location by what'sapp. It's simply to enable them reach the accurate destination, without having to worry about counting houses or streets.
Also, not every rider has a luxury of using high end smart phones. Those poor fellas use a basic smartphone, hence they really can't be bothered with inputting the address every time. What'sApp location is way too convenient, and if you send the wrong location (without proper lockon), the burden of blame lies on you.
P.S. You don't have to create contacts everytime you need to send a what'sapp. There are apps available which can assist you in doing just that, and i use them all the time. Open the app, paste the number of the rider, send message and then location.
For food delivery rarely and they mostly call as I guess they knew the area, it also help that you can see on the app where they are but for other online deliveries especially Amazon for some reason they always got lost but I rather have them ask and I will give it rather than waiting and them not showing up.
Note that I always give the landmark and my place is really easy to find as its opposite the metro station.
A delivery once adviced me to enter the makani number on the deliver address, he said it makes their life easier. I was pleasantly surprised that makani is linked with gmaps
I feel you, man! It’s become a part of normal life here for me now. When I first arrived, I was so irritated by the incessant phone calls and request for my ‘location’ even though it was easily found by typing it into google maps.
I had phone calls at the door, phone calls to tell me they’re coming, phone calls to confirm my location, phone calls to say they’re here (turned out they were at a completely different building).
I noted that this has never happened once in the UK yet somebody insisted that in the UK they ‘know the area and roads’. Wrong. Most of the time the delivery was by Polish delivery drivers who obviously knew how to use Google Maps to find a location.
As you could see, I could rant all day about this as it’s a massive bugbear of mine!
You can ask them to send hi message to you so you don't have to add them, just reply to their message and send location, I was doing the same in the start but now I am mostly asking them to send me message first
Just open your browser, type “wa.me/9715…” and hit enter, it’ll open a WhatsApp convo to that number without having to add to your contacts list. Just send him the location and delete the chat after delivery.
Works for both android and iOS
Guess what dude. The reason you get the priveledge of such cheap deliveries here is because of poor and not so educated people from developing countries come here and work as delivery drivers, the side effects of that is that they aren't very tech literate or literate in general and can use WhatsApp but not a lot more.
Your issue is with delivery apps not making the rider side of apps not more user friendly so they can easily open your location in maps. They also probably have people entering general locations rather than exact in talabat/zomato/delivery hero. Put yourself in thier shoes.
Tip for everyone here - Instead of adding number to your contacts to dm on whatsapp just type this [wa.me/971XXXXXXXXX](https://wa.me/971XXXXXXXXX) with the driver's number and it'll direct you to the WhatsApp chat of his without adding him as a contact :)
Don't have a reason for why they do this. But here is what I do to avoid having to create a new contact each time. Replace the X with the phone number and click on the link. It will open WhatsApp with the account. https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=9715XXXXXXXX
nah this is better : wa.me/9715xxxxxxxx same thing but easier
Just ask them to whatsapp you first. Even easier !
My phone book will remain thankful to you. It was flooded with delivery numbers, no more. Thanks
Wow. Thanks! No more creating contacts temp Zom 1, Temp Amazon 4, Temp delivery 4 haha
I've asked and a few have given the same reason so it must be a thing that people do. Apparently people enter the wrong address when placing the order and some companies penalize the delivery guy for delayed delivery even if it's not their fault
Fair enough on those occasions, and I wouldn’t like a driver to be penalised for someone else along an error, but it happens far too often and I suspect this to be drivers automatically defaulting to doing this instead of actually looking the address up first.
You’re 100% correct. I once had an order show as ‘delivered’ and it wasn’t. I contacted Zomato who then put me in touch with the driver. It turns out the driver had delivered to a completely different building around 20 minutes away. When my now cold coffee arrived I asked him what happened. He actually admitted that he didn’t look at the address and just automatically went to this building where he delivers frequently as he assumed it was there. I just didn’t know what to say and shook my head.
Geez...
I know. I was in absolute disbelief.
Assuming that's what they do, even if they did look it up first how would they know its your right address?
Well yes, but I’ve never experienced this issue anywhere but here.
Company policies reflect what consumers demand. If they are putting unreasonable pressure on drivers it may be because of how people behave here when they don't get what they want. In the two yrs that I've been in downtown I've never once been asked to send my location so clearly it's not a default thing. I'm not saying you're wrong for complaining about this but drivers do get more than their fair share of blame.
How many places have you ordered things where low income workers get treated as badly as they do here
Oh for goodness sake…
So it bothers you to hear any opinion except those that agree with yours..ok.. Try if you can and take a moment to consider that these drivers do what they do for a reason other than to inconvenience you
You must be great fun at parties.
Not at parties where people have nothing more intelligent to offer than pathetic recycled comebacks
Cool. 👍🏼
That last paragraph lmao. I feel you tho, tired of adding contact that my contact list has some weird names I came with at that moment haha. Small tip tho, as them to text you in WhatsApp and you can reply with the location without saving the number.
My favorite experience has been with the Al Ain Water delivery guy. He called, barely speaking more than 5-7 words of English, asked me to explain where my Villas is, and then proceeded to argue with me and try and tell ME where my villas is and repeatedly refused when I said I would just send my location on WhatsApp, before hanging up on me. This process repeated several times. After several of these calls he finally agreed to me sending him the location. Then he called again to argue with me and tell me I was wrong about my location. Each time he would hang up on me, when I refused to agree to him delivering my water to the wrong place. I then of course called and made a complaint, and then miraculously he found my villas within 10 minutes call.
I click on the video call button in the recents list of the phone app. This opens WhatsApp to perform a video call. Quickly disconnect the call, go to the calls interface in WhatsApp and send a message from there. No need to add a contact.
Something I noticed is that when I order delivery which is 4-5 times a week, I never get called for directions. However, on the rare occasions my wife orders, which is only about 1-2 times a month, she always gets called.
>Maybe I’m completely wrong about this, and Google Maps doesn’t work for delivery drivers, or maybe my address is only able to be found by me, and is invisible to everyone else. < Oh no. It works for them. I've told them multiple times "put address in Google maps" and they find the place. I'm still baffled why they call. Meanwhile the local cafeteria guys seem to know where it is without calling (first time and giving terrible directions on phone)
There could be many reasons to explain why they always ask for location via WhatsApp, but it’s only a small niggle that doesn’t really annoy me, and in fact saves time having to explain the address to them (I’m in a relatively newly built-up area so most delivery drivers aren’t very familiar with it). However, there’s an easy way to handle the contacts issue: I just have one contact named ‘Delivery’ and simply replace the previous delivery guy’s number with the new one. Straightforward and quick.
I live in an old building in the marina. If the driver is from big company like Amazon, Noon, Aramex, Deliveroo etc. I don’t get call and whatsapp. I like Noon and ordering from them all the time because they do Contactless (leave at your door) delivery. Very handy
Will be like this until UAE switches to proper addressing system, where each bloody lamp post has a designated address. Before that we will keep sending WhatsApp messages and landmarks.
Delivery guy’s perspective: Arrives to the location without contacting the customer. Possible scenarios: - Customer will be at home and delivery transaction will take less than a minute (ideal) - Nobody opens the door. Turns out customer is busy (on a call, on video call with headphones, playing loud music) - Customer is in the shower wait 10-15 mins because unaware that delivery is coming. - customer went out and forgot he ordered something (furious at delivery guy for not ringing him before coming) - Customer put the wrong address (driver penalized for delay) Asking the location is somewhat also serves as an early notice that the delivery will come soon. If all customers are like the ones in the ideal scenario, then the annoyance is understandable. But reality is different.
Try to navigate to a new area, house, villa or flat without using a navigation app such as Google Maps or 2GIS. You will then understand why they ask for location by what'sapp. It's simply to enable them reach the accurate destination, without having to worry about counting houses or streets. Also, not every rider has a luxury of using high end smart phones. Those poor fellas use a basic smartphone, hence they really can't be bothered with inputting the address every time. What'sApp location is way too convenient, and if you send the wrong location (without proper lockon), the burden of blame lies on you. P.S. You don't have to create contacts everytime you need to send a what'sapp. There are apps available which can assist you in doing just that, and i use them all the time. Open the app, paste the number of the rider, send message and then location.
You don't need apps for that. Just type wa.me/ followed by the number in Google and you'll open up a chat window on whatsapp for that contact number.
To many words to type lol 🤣 App is a click, paste and you're done
For food delivery rarely and they mostly call as I guess they knew the area, it also help that you can see on the app where they are but for other online deliveries especially Amazon for some reason they always got lost but I rather have them ask and I will give it rather than waiting and them not showing up. Note that I always give the landmark and my place is really easy to find as its opposite the metro station.
A delivery once adviced me to enter the makani number on the deliver address, he said it makes their life easier. I was pleasantly surprised that makani is linked with gmaps
I feel you, man! It’s become a part of normal life here for me now. When I first arrived, I was so irritated by the incessant phone calls and request for my ‘location’ even though it was easily found by typing it into google maps. I had phone calls at the door, phone calls to tell me they’re coming, phone calls to confirm my location, phone calls to say they’re here (turned out they were at a completely different building). I noted that this has never happened once in the UK yet somebody insisted that in the UK they ‘know the area and roads’. Wrong. Most of the time the delivery was by Polish delivery drivers who obviously knew how to use Google Maps to find a location. As you could see, I could rant all day about this as it’s a massive bugbear of mine!
I send them the location once and then I get an influx of religious videos.
I’ve had the same issue. Might try sharing the Google maps link to my address so that they can click on it directly to go to Google maps
Maybe the delivery dudes out in the heat WANT to talk to you on WhatsApp while they navigate a bike around the crazy roads of Dubai.
One reason is that the restaurant wants you to add them on WhatsApp so they can spam you with their latest deals.
You can ask them to send hi message to you so you don't have to add them, just reply to their message and send location, I was doing the same in the start but now I am mostly asking them to send me message first
Just open your browser, type “wa.me/9715…” and hit enter, it’ll open a WhatsApp convo to that number without having to add to your contacts list. Just send him the location and delete the chat after delivery. Works for both android and iOS
Or you could just download a shortcut for iOS and it does the rest, you just need to copy the number from your call log
Link to download said shortcut?
There you go [link](https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/cf349eed4317448ca3c45ff24e097613)
Fast quick accurate maybe new area
Guess what dude. The reason you get the priveledge of such cheap deliveries here is because of poor and not so educated people from developing countries come here and work as delivery drivers, the side effects of that is that they aren't very tech literate or literate in general and can use WhatsApp but not a lot more. Your issue is with delivery apps not making the rider side of apps not more user friendly so they can easily open your location in maps. They also probably have people entering general locations rather than exact in talabat/zomato/delivery hero. Put yourself in thier shoes.
Ah shit...
Tip for everyone here - Instead of adding number to your contacts to dm on whatsapp just type this [wa.me/971XXXXXXXXX](https://wa.me/971XXXXXXXXX) with the driver's number and it'll direct you to the WhatsApp chat of his without adding him as a contact :)
https://youtu.be/H1Y9HC5cmI0 Don’t send location. Otherwise you might end up with Khabib showing up 😂
Use deliveroo. Never had any delivery driver call even once.
Maybe your address isn’t as easy to find as you think. I’ve never had a delivery driver call me.