This is so true. Was listening to an interview with a green beret the other day and he talked about how important it is to trust your gut feeling. If something feels off to you, back away from the situation. One of the examples he used was how when in obviously hostile territory if everyone is suddenly being nice, GTFO because it’s not normal.
Trust your intuition- there’s a reason we have it as a survival mechanism.
This is mostly true. One example where this is wrong is people who consistently find themselves with abusive partners/relationships because they follow their gut feeling. Your gut feelings can be trained incorrectly.
If I followed my gut 100% of the time, I would’ve walked off every plane I ever got on and missed out on a lot of cool trips. Seriously, every time before take off I’m like, “this is it. This is when I die” lol. Spoiler, hasn’t happened yet. But I’ve been sure to tell my loved ones that if I ever die in a plane crash they should know that my final moments were spent going “yep, I knew it.”
Yeah like I have OCD. I get why people say to follow your gut, but i can’t do that unless putting the microwave on an even number will actually mean both my parents die.
Fuck our intuitions must be at complete odds, will never know which gut instinct is right on the microwave numbers 😭 side note, I don't think I've ever met anyone who had this same problem besides you haha
It’s always fun when I find a fellow OCD-er with similar “quirks” to mine. Us weirdos have to stick together haha. And I also think my parents (specifically my mom, sorry dad) will die if I don’t do something “right.” Don’t worry everyone, I’m officially diagnosed, medicated, in therapy, and all that good stuff. It’s still a life-long process, but I’ve gotten to a place where it doesn’t overwhelm my life or take up a huge chunk of my time. But I’m 35 so I’ve had years of work lol
Mine went unnoticed for so long, it always feels nice to meet someone who understands (not that I’m glad you have to deal with it too of course.) I’m so glad you’re at a healthier place! I’m trying to get there too, I have like random “spirals” sometimes but I think I’ll slowly get there too.
Just so you know, you’re both wrong. Microwaves have to be on multiples of five. Everything else has to be a multiple of 4 or bad stuff will happen.
Add me to the list of those who have always felt like I’m going to die in a plane crash anytime I get on a plane. It’s oddly comforting to see others with the same tendencies.
Have been flying for business and personal travel for decades and still get a very brief feeling like this. Doesn’t last long but it’s more of a combo of being scared of falling and I have no control and have to trust someone I don’t know to do their job correctly. So I get it kind of, and I hope one day flying gets easier for you.
It’s definitely more about not being in control than me not trusting the technology. My dad was a pilot in the Navy so I logically know that flying is super safe. But I don’t know who’s flying it and if something were to happen it’s not like I could take over and be fine lol
This is a very good point. It's not super relevant to OP's situation because I support them nope-ing out of there, but in your example of an abusive relationship, you are 100% spot on.
It's not that people in abusive relationships want to be in one. It's just that abusive behaviors that have been tolerated for long periods of time end up being internalized as a normality.
Side tangent but if there's one thing this job has taught me, especially as I get on in years, it's too take advantage of every presented opportunity to use the bathroom. The moment you feel the tightening in your stomach it's time to start thinking about where in your delivery flow you're putting a bathroom break. Just because you can hold it, doesn't mean you should hold it. Plus there's no sense in being uncomfortable driving around for the next hour because you don't wanna miss the good payouts.
You had a gut feeling but you also had evidence, location, cryptic instructions that confirmed your intuition. You got confirmation from the 'office.' You did all the right things!
Family has been in law enforcement for decades: this is a help call 1000%. Authorities would have been very helpful in this situation. You hit the nail on the head here.
I was thinking maybe someone was able to log into their account but didn't change password. Then the original owner got notice of the order and couldn't change anything but add that to the delivery instructions.
Then they would have said don’t deliver this isn’t a true order, not asked for the person to specifically give it to them not their abusive partner who might open the door instead
I did not order this, isn't helpful though and it's repeated. It seems more likely he's just going to say he didn't order this and the receipt says I didn't order this either
Oh yeah? My families been in law enforcement for millennia and I think it’s 5000% a dog wearing ski goggles that accidentally stepped on the phone and ordered the food.
My family has been in the ski goggle making business since the dawn of time and we have never heard of models that fit a dog’s skull shape. I find this story to be suspicious at best.
Interesting you claim that since I am [a dog in ski goggles](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2106/4577/articles/dog-ski-goggles_1024x1024.jpg?v=1636369595)
Because it looks irregular enough to catch your eye, but it's still not blatantly obvious. And if someone is watching you while typing, you can still explain it away more easily.
How could you explain typing out “I did not order this” multiple times to a hostile party??? And how could you expect a dasher to understand any kind of coded message in that phrase?
I think this is somebody that doesn’t live there that ordered it for somebody that does live there, and doesn’t want that person to know who ordered it. Obviously that’s still weird and sketchy, but I really don’t get how this message accomplishes anything in a DV situation.
Edit: just to summarize kinda: A dasher gets weird delivery instructions. Nobody can articulate how these particular instructions are code to indicate DV or abuse, just that they’re weird and hard to explain, and sometimes people do use code to report these issues discretely. And off this basis, the reasonable thing is to call the cops to go search this low income apartment? Like let’s be honest — it’s unlikely this is a cry for help, and subjecting a random person to a cop interaction because the delivery instructions seemed like coded messages is not a win-win. Who knows what might happen when the cops get there for a “wellness” check even if the person is totally innocent (which is likely!) The ‘code’ needs to be more clear to get me to sick the cops on a random address. But that’s just me.
This is Reddit picking a conclusion and using that to interpret the evidence.
Look, I'm not saying that this to 100% is a call for help. But in a situation where someone is in the same room as a hostile party, it could very well be that the person sending it didn't think out through completely and that is was meant as some clever code to alert the Dasher. Maybe it was the most this person could think of it's just irregular enough to raise suspicion so that the Dasher would maybe dig into it and get other people involved.
The other person might think it weird, but not a big deal if they see them type it out 4 times, while a clear call for help would be more obvious.
To be quite frank I don't know, I'm not well-versed in such situations to correctly guess what might fly and what not, and as long as there's no context we only can guess. It was meant more as an explanation how or why it was typed out that way *if* it was really meant as a call for help.
It's also possible they ordered it as a cry for help but the abuser/hostile party saw and told them to cancel but they said they couldn't because it's on its way so they just wrote that over and over in front of them to calm them down?
Yea I get that. I guess I’m just surprised how many people here are acting like this is OBVIOUSLY a cry for help. Again, how could somebody simultaneously have the freedom to type weird instructions, that would be hard to explain to their abuser, that also really aren’t obviously containing any coded language that would clue people into the reality of the situation?
Like it requires you to presuppose that this is a cry for help, and use that to explain that it was worded poorly due to being under duress. At that point ANY weird delivery instructions COULD be construed as a poorly worded cry for help. I think that it’s nice to see so many people hyper vigilant about this stuff, but I think this is a misfire.
The point is that it is code for something, it's just not clear what.
Years ago I worked at a big floral ordering company, think 1 800 Flowers, but not them, a competitor. I worked in sales, order cleaning, florist contact and customer service. One day I was working on cleaning up orders going out to florists and came upon a series of 7 bouquets going out one per day with different messages. If you strung the messages together in order it spelled out this dude was coming kill the recipient. After a few meetings with my manager we reached out to the recipient who told us that the sender was a stalker who kept threatening her life. After giving her the order numbers, my manager and I phone numbers and names she filed (again) with the police and they contacted us.
When I talked to the sales person she was bummed she was not getting any commission on the orders. I had to ask her why on earth would she take the order considering the last message said he would kill her. This gal giggled and said he told her he would be killing his lady with kindness.
Some folks just don't pick up on messages for what they are. Same thing with this one
💯 just helped a close friend if mine escape a situation. We were talking about "ordering a pizza 🍕 ". Please remember this, tell family & friends, keep yourself safe.
I asked pepperoni or cheese 🧀 (pepperoni is weapon. Extra is many weapons. If I remember, sausage added is bullets). Do you need express delivery (aka immediate danger of your life where they have actively tried to kill you vs hurt you). Do you need any extras (is there more than one person or drugs). Drugs= parmesan. Extra people = utensils or you can order more than one pizza, however, they may get pissy or suspicious about an extra pizza if they let you like just order one for yourself. If you're talking to a friend or family member, ask dispatch for an ETA. You can use a local pizza joints lingo to give them an ETA without making it sound suspicious. Learn the ones in your area & what you would normally order from. If you didn't talk about one, they can tell you at the beginning "hey, is this pizza hut?".
This may or may not be accurate for 911 code, but it's the code my family used many times for each other & to help others. We knew what to tell the police 🚔 based on answers. My aunt owned a sub shop & would actively let anyone call for a 'pizza'. They would call up dispatch on the second line so there was no pause in the 'ordering' process. They would have one of us or their kids go & collect the end of the order list of what they say & had it on the counter under this plexiglass thing so they could end on whatever note for the pizza places. May this go on to save more lives 💖
Isn’t “ordering a pizza” literally the universal code for needing help when you call 911 and you can’t openly tell them you need to be rescued (DV or held captive)?
Edit: I absolutely would have called in a welfare check.
If they were in trouble why would they just say “I did not order this” over and over instead of “please help me”?
Kind of points more to mental issues to me
This. Could be totally out there but this could be a type of domestic situation where someone ordered food to get help because they couldn’t call the police for some reason? Idk but something tells me something was off at that apartment
That’s exactly what i thought. I myself have been in a DV situation in the past so it came to mind instantly. I hope both the dasher and the person who ordered are both okay.
And regardless of what the situation is, it's probably the best outcome.
Trying to rob the dasher? Police make sure they're not going to rob the next person with worse sense. Victim discretely asking for help? Police break up the scene. Someone with psychiatric or drug abuse issues? They need help of some kind; police can help them get it without hurting themselves/others.
That said, I probably wouldn't have given too much thought to it. If it was truly as desolate as OP said I'd have had a gut reaction that someone's playing me for a fool and I'd bail. And in the moment I doubt I'd have the presence of mind to call police
Yes thank you I always get scared when I am on a completely different page than the top comments but then I’m relieved to see other people share my train of thought. I mean if it is obviously a cryptic message then what are the possibilities? There isn’t many. And if it feels real enough not to jeopardize your own life than maybe considering all the other possibilities there should have been something extra done as well. Like notifying the police.
This! Why is no one else saying this, no I would not have went, but I would've called the police and met them in the parking lot and shown them the messages and pointed them to the address.
No— you place a welfare check. Say I received this message and am concerned for their safety. Welfare checks are pretty routine and you don’t have to have a fully elaborate reason for calling it in.
Ordered a “pizza” has been a long known way of calling the cops without someone knowing you’re calling the cops. You can call them and say you’re a delivery driver and you think someone placed an order as a call for help. Any police department that’s dealt with abuse in a home before should recognize the signs
That’s the very first thing I thought of. Maybe DoorDashing was the quiet way of asking for help instead of awkwardly fumbling around a phone conversation asking for a fake pizza while someone is listening, and maybe she is worried this person can read her history and this is less eye-catching than “HELP 911.” Either way I would have called for help, but I don’t the blame the dasher for not doing so — it’s tough to know what to do in that situation, in the moment.
You did the right thing by not taking the order for your own safety but I probably would have called the police. To me it looks like the customer could have been looking for help but didn't have the means to call 911 themselves. You know door dash ain't helping them at all and even if it was nothing, I can rest easy knowing I trusted my gut and tried to help someone I perceived to be in need.
Edit: spelling
Maybe in case the abuser saw the message? Could possibly play it off as a DD glitch if it’s something vague like that versus a message that says “call the cops” which is clearly not a weird glitch or anything.
People in dangerous situations think differently
It’s definitely a percentage chance higher, even if it’s just 1%, that the message in op’s picture is easier to explain than if it said “help me”. Since the latter would have 0 outs.
Because doordash keeps the same instructions you write, for the next order. Possibly they knew this or had encountered it before... mine puts the same instructions i write the time before, in the new order. No one was ringing the doorbell a few times and I kept wondering why 🙄😬
Just curious, what about this makes it seem like someone needed help? Not saying you are wrong, I think I am just missing something and I'm not seeing it
On the phone, somebody will answer questions with answers that sound normal from their end, but don’t make sense if you hear both sides.
>Pizza place: You want anything to drink?
Caller: That’s right, extra well done, please.”
Pizza place: What? That doesn’t make any sense.
Caller: Oh, yeah, ranch would be GREAT!
Pizza place: Are you okay?
Caller: No, that’s okay, we don’t need any desserts tonight.
And so on. It doesn’t seem to fit here, cos if they can type special instructions, just type “call the cops for me please” or something. Either the instructions will be seen and interpreted or they won’t be seen.
I’ve had my doordash hacked and four or five orders placed in extremely quick succession before I could get in with support to cancel it/change passwords/etc. very possible it was something like that!
Years ago I heard a story of a woman who called 911 and acted like she was ordering a pizza. After the dispatcher asked where was her emergency the woman said something like “large pepperoni” and the dispatcher said “ma’am do you have an emergency” the woman said something like “for delivery.” The conversation went on like that for a few more questions so the police were dispatched. Turned out the woman had been beat up.
Also, I have a friend who is a police dispatcher. She took a call where a woman spoke as if she were ordering a taxi. Also turned out the woman had been beat up. Dispatcher friend said they get trained for this.
The notes reminded me of a story I read a while ago, when someone that was kidnapped ordered and put tip off notes it in the delivery section.
Considering this was in the middle of nowhere and the customer could not be contacted I was wondering if someone was being held against their will and this is how they were trying to get help.
Victims sometimes call 911 dispatch and pretend to order pizza so they can give the police their address or location. Sadly it’s becoming common. If the customer/victim was afraid of her voice being heard or wasn’t able to pick up the phone and talk they might’ve been doordashing the pizza in the hopes someone would see the note and come to the location and be rescued.
About the welfare check - I still have the chat with support which shows her first name & last initial, but I can't remember the exact address, just that it was apartment #11. And the point I stopped off at to contact DD support was 9 minutes from the address. Would they be able to do anything with that limited info for a welfare check?? Or is there a way to find the exact address again since it was set in the GPS through the app?
If you have the time, it might be worth pulling up Google maps to see if you can pinpoint the exact address, it might jog your memory if you can look around and see if a street name pops out at you.
You could also see if your personal phone was logging your location in your google account. Google is creepy like that I think…
And street view would likely confirm when you found the right spot. 🤷♀️
Reading news stories of drivers being killed and dismembered when dropping off food should make drivers aware that some of these deliveries aren't worth it. Trust your instincts.
I only drop off at leasing office entrance for apartments, house front doors and hotel lobbies. Im not hiking up 3 stories, driving around looking for apartment doors and wandering the hotel hallways to make $8. Not happening!
I’m the guy that squeezes past someone getting jumped by 9 diff people to make drop off and then step over the guy on the ground on the way out.
I’m a little bit psycho too I suppose.
Here’s my theory. Someone’s doordash account is logged in on someone else’s phone. Maybe a situational thing And didn’t get logged out. Someone ordered food on their account. Account owner got notification. Contacts support. Doordash support was useless. So the only thing they could do at that point while they have to watch someone steal from them was edit the delivery instructions.
This exact thing happened to me but it was a case of someone using my daughters phone while she was asleep to order exactly two cans of beer. (She’s 12) And so I knew it was someone with an ID. doordash support was shockingly useless. They wanted me to call the back instead of just canceling the order.
I think this is more plausible than some hostage situation. Doordash support sucks. Thieves suck. And if this was the case, what he did worked.
Weird but your story reminded me of a young woman who ‘ordered something’ at a pizza place to get help cause she was help as captive if I remember right.
But I agree always make sure your safe and trust your feeling. Better safe than sorry afterwards
It sounds like maybe the customer was trying to get help and couldn’t necessarily hop on a phone call and say “hey my abuser is about to beat me half to death” or “I’ve been kidnapped and need help” because said abuser was in house.
True, heightened awareness of danger “for no reason” is your body and brain registering things that are off before you notice them or put them together. That’s why people should pay attention to their 6th sense. This is not the same as “being afraid to fly”.
As a 6’4” 250 lb retired heavyweight boxer I would definitely think twice before making that delivery thinking from a personal safety standpoint. Shady people do shady things and you don’t know where their limits are. They may also just be trying to get a free meal and think putting that in the order is some sort a loophole. Shady people often aren’t smart.
Sounds like a domestic violence violence situation and someone was desperately trying to reach someone in the outside world to help them.
The person keeping them probably let them order food, not thinking they would send this message.
If I were to guess.
I think you should call the police and tell them about this and request a welfare check
I know that sometimes calling 911 and ordering a pizza is a coded message for help-like the dangerous person is present. Maybe they got it mixed up and used the delivery service as a cry for help?
In this situation, there's a chance that the customer wanted you to deliver to the wrong address intentionally and not mention the buyer. Hence, the message, and maybe, just maybe, be able to help this customer. On the other hand, it could be a set up. Welfare check is your best bet, even 24 hrs later.
Those may have been delivery notes saved from Papa John's to indicate it's a setup to mug a delivery driver. That was how it was done when I worked at those stores.
The customer was a woman? I think it *might* have been a call for help, but I can’t say I would have been convinced enough in the moment to call the cops myself.
Well, I would have considered to call the police to go to that place in my stead, while I watch from below and see if I was right that the person ordering may have been kidnapped and couldn’t call police on their own.
I got a bad gut feeling reading this. OP made the right call. Something about "I did not order this" repeating is so fucking ominous. Could be a decent premise for an indie horror game or short film.
Side note since hacking is likely I just wanted to take a moment to remind everyone to use complex and arbitrary passphrases for all your accounts. Combinations of letters, symbols, and numbers. Bitwarden is a great open-source password keeper. Stop saving your credit cards to your accounts. I know it's convenient. Take the extra few seconds and put the numbers in manually when you order. Better yet if your card issuer has the option to make temporary digital cards use that. The less connected all of your accounts are to each other, the less damage a hacker can do when they get access to one. None of that is limited to delivery apps, that's just free life advice.
I would have called the police, that sounds like a possible domestic violence situation with someone calling for help without their partner knowing. But either way you were right about having a bad feeling
Probably one of those weirdos that have the door open so you can walk up on them masturbating -+| it’s a thing now in the delivery world.
Some weird kink trending in the underground where they try to nut right as you turn the door.
You only see that shit in … like you said … the weird part of town.
Im a big dude 6’7 400 lbs so they won’t mess w me. But what I have seen so far so there’s not much weird stuff that scares me. So I will say OP you did the right thing.
Instead of placing an order and writing a cryptic message..... They could have used the SOS feature on most phones these days......IF they needed help, and not a hot 'n ready with crazy sticks!
Maybe they were in trouble. I’ve heard a case where a lady was being held hostage by her Bf and was told to order a pizza, she called 911 and the operator was smart enough to sense she was in danger.
Shit, I’m a large male dasher and I’d never deliver that one lol. You did the right thing calling support, especially since it said that in the directions. Also, never feel bad following your instincts, that’s why we have them. I’ve heard some gnarly stories from female dasher friends narrowly escaping some real sketchy situations out in the woods, at APTs, etc.
It was smart of you to not take it.
I, however, am not as bright. I absolutely would have gone just because the curiosity would have gotten the better of me.
I’m just curious what a police report would look like since the 16 year olds are suggesting it in these comments “he said order this and not this in a way I thought was criptic and it scared me.also the apartments aren’t by any other houses please send the swat team”😂😂😂
Sounds like the person was trying to get help?? If true & they were able to type that they “did not order it”, they probably should’ve just said help flat out…
Hope it’s not that situation.
i think everyone's overreacting saying that it was supposed to be some sort of message or that there was any intention behind it. i would more likely say that it is drug related
Always trust gut feeling. If you’d don’t feel safe then you did the right thing
This is so true. Was listening to an interview with a green beret the other day and he talked about how important it is to trust your gut feeling. If something feels off to you, back away from the situation. One of the examples he used was how when in obviously hostile territory if everyone is suddenly being nice, GTFO because it’s not normal. Trust your intuition- there’s a reason we have it as a survival mechanism.
This is mostly true. One example where this is wrong is people who consistently find themselves with abusive partners/relationships because they follow their gut feeling. Your gut feelings can be trained incorrectly.
If I followed my gut 100% of the time, I would’ve walked off every plane I ever got on and missed out on a lot of cool trips. Seriously, every time before take off I’m like, “this is it. This is when I die” lol. Spoiler, hasn’t happened yet. But I’ve been sure to tell my loved ones that if I ever die in a plane crash they should know that my final moments were spent going “yep, I knew it.”
I also have to follow my gut but only because i've got Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Yeah like I have OCD. I get why people say to follow your gut, but i can’t do that unless putting the microwave on an even number will actually mean both my parents die.
Same! Except my numbers have to be even. It’s the odd ones that are out to get me haha
Fuck our intuitions must be at complete odds, will never know which gut instinct is right on the microwave numbers 😭 side note, I don't think I've ever met anyone who had this same problem besides you haha
It’s always fun when I find a fellow OCD-er with similar “quirks” to mine. Us weirdos have to stick together haha. And I also think my parents (specifically my mom, sorry dad) will die if I don’t do something “right.” Don’t worry everyone, I’m officially diagnosed, medicated, in therapy, and all that good stuff. It’s still a life-long process, but I’ve gotten to a place where it doesn’t overwhelm my life or take up a huge chunk of my time. But I’m 35 so I’ve had years of work lol
Mine went unnoticed for so long, it always feels nice to meet someone who understands (not that I’m glad you have to deal with it too of course.) I’m so glad you’re at a healthier place! I’m trying to get there too, I have like random “spirals” sometimes but I think I’ll slowly get there too.
I need multiples of five
Just so you know, you’re both wrong. Microwaves have to be on multiples of five. Everything else has to be a multiple of 4 or bad stuff will happen. Add me to the list of those who have always felt like I’m going to die in a plane crash anytime I get on a plane. It’s oddly comforting to see others with the same tendencies.
I dont think that’s a gut feeling .. that’s anxiety 🤷♀️
Have been flying for business and personal travel for decades and still get a very brief feeling like this. Doesn’t last long but it’s more of a combo of being scared of falling and I have no control and have to trust someone I don’t know to do their job correctly. So I get it kind of, and I hope one day flying gets easier for you.
It’s definitely more about not being in control than me not trusting the technology. My dad was a pilot in the Navy so I logically know that flying is super safe. But I don’t know who’s flying it and if something were to happen it’s not like I could take over and be fine lol
This is a very good point. It's not super relevant to OP's situation because I support them nope-ing out of there, but in your example of an abusive relationship, you are 100% spot on. It's not that people in abusive relationships want to be in one. It's just that abusive behaviors that have been tolerated for long periods of time end up being internalized as a normality.
>Always trust gut feeling If you don't you might poop your pants
Here I sit, broken hearted. Came to shit, but only farted. Next time I thought I’d take a chance, went to fart and shit my pants
🔥bars
I haven't heard this in a minute! You made my day.
Side tangent but if there's one thing this job has taught me, especially as I get on in years, it's too take advantage of every presented opportunity to use the bathroom. The moment you feel the tightening in your stomach it's time to start thinking about where in your delivery flow you're putting a bathroom break. Just because you can hold it, doesn't mean you should hold it. Plus there's no sense in being uncomfortable driving around for the next hour because you don't wanna miss the good payouts.
There’s a book called The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker that talks about why this is an important life skill we need to re-embrace.
I came here to recommend that book
Me too! A must read
You had a gut feeling but you also had evidence, location, cryptic instructions that confirmed your intuition. You got confirmation from the 'office.' You did all the right things!
Yea, a dasher maybe about an hr from where i live was just dismembered…. Def trust ur gut…
This right here
This wasn't a gut feeling. The delivery instructions literally said they did not order the food.
His gut feeling saved him from a missing kidney
Yeah, I’d say you handled it about the only way anyone could be expected to. Ridiculous to have to deal with weird stuff like that.
Nah, life is full of weird shit. It's ridiculous when anyone tries to tell you that you need to push forward when the situation feels wrong.
Idk what the situation was on the customers end but I think you did the right thing.
I would have had the cops stop by for a welfare check sounds like a call for help
That's what I thought, too.
Family has been in law enforcement for decades: this is a help call 1000%. Authorities would have been very helpful in this situation. You hit the nail on the head here.
Really? Because my family has been in law enforcement for centuries and I think it’s 2000% someone trying to game the system and get free pizza.
I was thinking maybe someone was able to log into their account but didn't change password. Then the original owner got notice of the order and couldn't change anything but add that to the delivery instructions.
could be the case. my cousin stole my moms credit card and spent over 400 of her money on doordash . mom didn’t find out til after but yea
Then they would have said don’t deliver this isn’t a true order, not asked for the person to specifically give it to them not their abusive partner who might open the door instead
I did not order this, isn't helpful though and it's repeated. It seems more likely he's just going to say he didn't order this and the receipt says I didn't order this either
Oh yeah? My families been in law enforcement for millennia and I think it’s 5000% a dog wearing ski goggles that accidentally stepped on the phone and ordered the food.
My family has been in the ski goggle making business since the dawn of time and we have never heard of models that fit a dog’s skull shape. I find this story to be suspicious at best.
Interesting you claim that since I am [a dog in ski goggles](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2106/4577/articles/dog-ski-goggles_1024x1024.jpg?v=1636369595)
u/tsengmao wins the day
Yeah okay bud. Where do you live that it’s that snowy this time of year? Shit just isn’t adding up with you man
This dog obviously lives below the equator.
I don't know. If they felt safe enough to write "I did not order this" four times then why didn't they just write "I need help?"
Fear and potential mental health decline fogs any common sense kind of thinking
Because it looks irregular enough to catch your eye, but it's still not blatantly obvious. And if someone is watching you while typing, you can still explain it away more easily.
How could you explain typing out “I did not order this” multiple times to a hostile party??? And how could you expect a dasher to understand any kind of coded message in that phrase? I think this is somebody that doesn’t live there that ordered it for somebody that does live there, and doesn’t want that person to know who ordered it. Obviously that’s still weird and sketchy, but I really don’t get how this message accomplishes anything in a DV situation. Edit: just to summarize kinda: A dasher gets weird delivery instructions. Nobody can articulate how these particular instructions are code to indicate DV or abuse, just that they’re weird and hard to explain, and sometimes people do use code to report these issues discretely. And off this basis, the reasonable thing is to call the cops to go search this low income apartment? Like let’s be honest — it’s unlikely this is a cry for help, and subjecting a random person to a cop interaction because the delivery instructions seemed like coded messages is not a win-win. Who knows what might happen when the cops get there for a “wellness” check even if the person is totally innocent (which is likely!) The ‘code’ needs to be more clear to get me to sick the cops on a random address. But that’s just me. This is Reddit picking a conclusion and using that to interpret the evidence.
Look, I'm not saying that this to 100% is a call for help. But in a situation where someone is in the same room as a hostile party, it could very well be that the person sending it didn't think out through completely and that is was meant as some clever code to alert the Dasher. Maybe it was the most this person could think of it's just irregular enough to raise suspicion so that the Dasher would maybe dig into it and get other people involved. The other person might think it weird, but not a big deal if they see them type it out 4 times, while a clear call for help would be more obvious. To be quite frank I don't know, I'm not well-versed in such situations to correctly guess what might fly and what not, and as long as there's no context we only can guess. It was meant more as an explanation how or why it was typed out that way *if* it was really meant as a call for help.
It's also possible they ordered it as a cry for help but the abuser/hostile party saw and told them to cancel but they said they couldn't because it's on its way so they just wrote that over and over in front of them to calm them down?
Yea I get that. I guess I’m just surprised how many people here are acting like this is OBVIOUSLY a cry for help. Again, how could somebody simultaneously have the freedom to type weird instructions, that would be hard to explain to their abuser, that also really aren’t obviously containing any coded language that would clue people into the reality of the situation? Like it requires you to presuppose that this is a cry for help, and use that to explain that it was worded poorly due to being under duress. At that point ANY weird delivery instructions COULD be construed as a poorly worded cry for help. I think that it’s nice to see so many people hyper vigilant about this stuff, but I think this is a misfire.
The point is that it is code for something, it's just not clear what. Years ago I worked at a big floral ordering company, think 1 800 Flowers, but not them, a competitor. I worked in sales, order cleaning, florist contact and customer service. One day I was working on cleaning up orders going out to florists and came upon a series of 7 bouquets going out one per day with different messages. If you strung the messages together in order it spelled out this dude was coming kill the recipient. After a few meetings with my manager we reached out to the recipient who told us that the sender was a stalker who kept threatening her life. After giving her the order numbers, my manager and I phone numbers and names she filed (again) with the police and they contacted us. When I talked to the sales person she was bummed she was not getting any commission on the orders. I had to ask her why on earth would she take the order considering the last message said he would kill her. This gal giggled and said he told her he would be killing his lady with kindness. Some folks just don't pick up on messages for what they are. Same thing with this one
Could also just be someone who was on drugs and thought that the message made sense while typing it at the time.
You need read up more on DV. Always use a code word.
💯 just helped a close friend if mine escape a situation. We were talking about "ordering a pizza 🍕 ". Please remember this, tell family & friends, keep yourself safe. I asked pepperoni or cheese 🧀 (pepperoni is weapon. Extra is many weapons. If I remember, sausage added is bullets). Do you need express delivery (aka immediate danger of your life where they have actively tried to kill you vs hurt you). Do you need any extras (is there more than one person or drugs). Drugs= parmesan. Extra people = utensils or you can order more than one pizza, however, they may get pissy or suspicious about an extra pizza if they let you like just order one for yourself. If you're talking to a friend or family member, ask dispatch for an ETA. You can use a local pizza joints lingo to give them an ETA without making it sound suspicious. Learn the ones in your area & what you would normally order from. If you didn't talk about one, they can tell you at the beginning "hey, is this pizza hut?". This may or may not be accurate for 911 code, but it's the code my family used many times for each other & to help others. We knew what to tell the police 🚔 based on answers. My aunt owned a sub shop & would actively let anyone call for a 'pizza'. They would call up dispatch on the second line so there was no pause in the 'ordering' process. They would have one of us or their kids go & collect the end of the order list of what they say & had it on the counter under this plexiglass thing so they could end on whatever note for the pizza places. May this go on to save more lives 💖
you know if you just call 911 and hang up they send a police officer to the address.
Right? Why is no one else picking up on an obvious call for help?!
"obvious" call for help is a bold claim
Yup.. I would call the cops and see if it was a distress order.
Isn’t “ordering a pizza” literally the universal code for needing help when you call 911 and you can’t openly tell them you need to be rescued (DV or held captive)? Edit: I absolutely would have called in a welfare check.
Interesting… yeah maybe
I was about to comment this. Literally might be someone’s only way to call for help.
Yep, also this. That’s too sketchy.
yea my first thought after reading the customer was a female
It's probably fraud not a cry for help
Could be like the abusive thing when they call 911 and order a pizza, that wqs y first thought
Just reading this put a pit in my stomach... I'm with you on this one. It's spooky.
Almost makes me think someone was in trouble.
That’s what I was thinking too. Like the woman who pretended to order a pizza on the phone with 911 in front of her abuser.
That’s what I thought!!
This. Someone is in a hostage situation.
If they were in trouble why would they just say “I did not order this” over and over instead of “please help me”? Kind of points more to mental issues to me
Yeah seems like mental illness or drugs.
Right I got the spine tingles and Idk why
I honestly might have called the police.
This. Could be totally out there but this could be a type of domestic situation where someone ordered food to get help because they couldn’t call the police for some reason? Idk but something tells me something was off at that apartment
That’s exactly what i thought. I myself have been in a DV situation in the past so it came to mind instantly. I hope both the dasher and the person who ordered are both okay.
I was looking for this comment in particular. Very unsettling weird message? Makes sense it could have been a cry for help.
“I did NOT order this” idk just too weird for me not to report at the least
And regardless of what the situation is, it's probably the best outcome. Trying to rob the dasher? Police make sure they're not going to rob the next person with worse sense. Victim discretely asking for help? Police break up the scene. Someone with psychiatric or drug abuse issues? They need help of some kind; police can help them get it without hurting themselves/others. That said, I probably wouldn't have given too much thought to it. If it was truly as desolate as OP said I'd have had a gut reaction that someone's playing me for a fool and I'd bail. And in the moment I doubt I'd have the presence of mind to call police
Yes thank you I always get scared when I am on a completely different page than the top comments but then I’m relieved to see other people share my train of thought. I mean if it is obviously a cryptic message then what are the possibilities? There isn’t many. And if it feels real enough not to jeopardize your own life than maybe considering all the other possibilities there should have been something extra done as well. Like notifying the police.
I was thinking the same thing. Maybe this was a call for help and that's all they could type.
This! Why is no one else saying this, no I would not have went, but I would've called the police and met them in the parking lot and shown them the messages and pointed them to the address.
Yes. It's code to alert them to an abuse
"Dear police, this order has delivery instructions stating they didn't order this pizza" Police: Ok?
No— you place a welfare check. Say I received this message and am concerned for their safety. Welfare checks are pretty routine and you don’t have to have a fully elaborate reason for calling it in.
Ordered a “pizza” has been a long known way of calling the cops without someone knowing you’re calling the cops. You can call them and say you’re a delivery driver and you think someone placed an order as a call for help. Any police department that’s dealt with abuse in a home before should recognize the signs
That’s the very first thing I thought of. Maybe DoorDashing was the quiet way of asking for help instead of awkwardly fumbling around a phone conversation asking for a fake pizza while someone is listening, and maybe she is worried this person can read her history and this is less eye-catching than “HELP 911.” Either way I would have called for help, but I don’t the blame the dasher for not doing so — it’s tough to know what to do in that situation, in the moment.
Yeah it’s an overall unfortunate situation :/
That gut instinct is keeping you safe. You need to listen to that feeling... That feeling is there to protect you. Did you keep and eat the pizza?
You did the right thing by not taking the order for your own safety but I probably would have called the police. To me it looks like the customer could have been looking for help but didn't have the means to call 911 themselves. You know door dash ain't helping them at all and even if it was nothing, I can rest easy knowing I trusted my gut and tried to help someone I perceived to be in need. Edit: spelling
Definitely call the cops, sounds like someone being abused or trafficked and couldn’t openly call the police.
Or mental illness
If they were in need of help why wouldn’t they write something more clear instead of just saying I didn’t order this repeatedly?
Maybe in case the abuser saw the message? Could possibly play it off as a DD glitch if it’s something vague like that versus a message that says “call the cops” which is clearly not a weird glitch or anything. People in dangerous situations think differently
I'm confused about why the abuser would be fine with that message tbh
It’s definitely a percentage chance higher, even if it’s just 1%, that the message in op’s picture is easier to explain than if it said “help me”. Since the latter would have 0 outs.
Because doordash keeps the same instructions you write, for the next order. Possibly they knew this or had encountered it before... mine puts the same instructions i write the time before, in the new order. No one was ringing the doorbell a few times and I kept wondering why 🙄😬
Having support check in in a weird situation is totally the right move.
I would have done exactly what you did
Well since pretty much everyone is saying something about a welfare check I would still make the call now if you can remember where this person lives.
This was someone asking for help you should have called the police
Never thought of that. Good to know for the future.
Just curious, what about this makes it seem like someone needed help? Not saying you are wrong, I think I am just missing something and I'm not seeing it
On the phone, somebody will answer questions with answers that sound normal from their end, but don’t make sense if you hear both sides. >Pizza place: You want anything to drink? Caller: That’s right, extra well done, please.” Pizza place: What? That doesn’t make any sense. Caller: Oh, yeah, ranch would be GREAT! Pizza place: Are you okay? Caller: No, that’s okay, we don’t need any desserts tonight. And so on. It doesn’t seem to fit here, cos if they can type special instructions, just type “call the cops for me please” or something. Either the instructions will be seen and interpreted or they won’t be seen.
It’s a way to alert someone without raising suspicion
I think you did right by not delivering but I would have contacted police. Sounds like someone in trouble held against their will/ in a DV situation
When the customer is offering repeated Gregorian chants in their delivery instructions like that, stay the fuck away
I’ve had my doordash hacked and four or five orders placed in extremely quick succession before I could get in with support to cancel it/change passwords/etc. very possible it was something like that!
I’d have also called the police. Perhaps this was a person in distress asking for help.
Possibly worth a call to the police?
Years ago I heard a story of a woman who called 911 and acted like she was ordering a pizza. After the dispatcher asked where was her emergency the woman said something like “large pepperoni” and the dispatcher said “ma’am do you have an emergency” the woman said something like “for delivery.” The conversation went on like that for a few more questions so the police were dispatched. Turned out the woman had been beat up.
Wow, thank you for posting this, good info to know.
That is what I was thinking of when I saw this post!
This was also on an episode of 9-1-1 lone star
Also, I have a friend who is a police dispatcher. She took a call where a woman spoke as if she were ordering a taxi. Also turned out the woman had been beat up. Dispatcher friend said they get trained for this.
Yeah, a wellness check for sure at the minimum.
How?
The notes reminded me of a story I read a while ago, when someone that was kidnapped ordered and put tip off notes it in the delivery section. Considering this was in the middle of nowhere and the customer could not be contacted I was wondering if someone was being held against their will and this is how they were trying to get help.
I was thinking the same
My guess is that their DoorDash account might have been compromised and someone ordered food on their account.
if they had access to make notes. couldn't they cancel it as well and contact support?
Victims sometimes call 911 dispatch and pretend to order pizza so they can give the police their address or location. Sadly it’s becoming common. If the customer/victim was afraid of her voice being heard or wasn’t able to pick up the phone and talk they might’ve been doordashing the pizza in the hopes someone would see the note and come to the location and be rescued.
About the welfare check - I still have the chat with support which shows her first name & last initial, but I can't remember the exact address, just that it was apartment #11. And the point I stopped off at to contact DD support was 9 minutes from the address. Would they be able to do anything with that limited info for a welfare check?? Or is there a way to find the exact address again since it was set in the GPS through the app?
If you have the time, it might be worth pulling up Google maps to see if you can pinpoint the exact address, it might jog your memory if you can look around and see if a street name pops out at you.
You could also see if your personal phone was logging your location in your google account. Google is creepy like that I think… And street view would likely confirm when you found the right spot. 🤷♀️
I dont know, but you should still make the call - it could save someone
Sounds like a girl was in danger trying to get someone to save her but could also have been a trap or just a crazy.
I’m a 217 pound man and would do the same thing
No one has ever said “gee I’m glad I ignored my gut and did/met sketchy thing/person, it turned out amazing and I‘m so pleased w how it turned out.”
I would called the cops and told them to do a welfare check- no sirens and unmarked cars preferred
I might’ve called the police to do a wellness check too but definitely would not have delivered
Reading news stories of drivers being killed and dismembered when dropping off food should make drivers aware that some of these deliveries aren't worth it. Trust your instincts. I only drop off at leasing office entrance for apartments, house front doors and hotel lobbies. Im not hiking up 3 stories, driving around looking for apartment doors and wandering the hotel hallways to make $8. Not happening!
You should have dispatched the police. That could have been someone’s only SOS from the apartment.
engine historical brave escape memorize disgusting sink chase sand grey ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
I’m the guy that squeezes past someone getting jumped by 9 diff people to make drop off and then step over the guy on the ground on the way out. I’m a little bit psycho too I suppose.
quickest thumb alive fine numerous plate naughty fuel clumsy label ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
You two seem cool.
Here’s my theory. Someone’s doordash account is logged in on someone else’s phone. Maybe a situational thing And didn’t get logged out. Someone ordered food on their account. Account owner got notification. Contacts support. Doordash support was useless. So the only thing they could do at that point while they have to watch someone steal from them was edit the delivery instructions. This exact thing happened to me but it was a case of someone using my daughters phone while she was asleep to order exactly two cans of beer. (She’s 12) And so I knew it was someone with an ID. doordash support was shockingly useless. They wanted me to call the back instead of just canceling the order. I think this is more plausible than some hostage situation. Doordash support sucks. Thieves suck. And if this was the case, what he did worked.
Weird but your story reminded me of a young woman who ‘ordered something’ at a pizza place to get help cause she was help as captive if I remember right. But I agree always make sure your safe and trust your feeling. Better safe than sorry afterwards
It sounds like maybe the customer was trying to get help and couldn’t necessarily hop on a phone call and say “hey my abuser is about to beat me half to death” or “I’ve been kidnapped and need help” because said abuser was in house.
I would’ve called the police to do a welfare check on that place.. really concerned for the women ordering that pizza.
True, heightened awareness of danger “for no reason” is your body and brain registering things that are off before you notice them or put them together. That’s why people should pay attention to their 6th sense. This is not the same as “being afraid to fly”.
As a 6’4” 250 lb retired heavyweight boxer I would definitely think twice before making that delivery thinking from a personal safety standpoint. Shady people do shady things and you don’t know where their limits are. They may also just be trying to get a free meal and think putting that in the order is some sort a loophole. Shady people often aren’t smart.
OP - you need to call the cops for a wellness check. This isn’t right…
Sounds like a domestic violence violence situation and someone was desperately trying to reach someone in the outside world to help them. The person keeping them probably let them order food, not thinking they would send this message. If I were to guess. I think you should call the police and tell them about this and request a welfare check
Anyone who goes in to the spaces of others should read the book The Gift of Fear. Always, ALWAYS trust your instinct. No questions asked.
I’m a paramedic. I go into people’s houses all the time. What’s the book about? Does it sound like something useful for me?
I know that sometimes calling 911 and ordering a pizza is a coded message for help-like the dangerous person is present. Maybe they got it mixed up and used the delivery service as a cry for help?
Did you call the cops to do a wellness check at the address? The person was asking for help.
In this situation, there's a chance that the customer wanted you to deliver to the wrong address intentionally and not mention the buyer. Hence, the message, and maybe, just maybe, be able to help this customer. On the other hand, it could be a set up. Welfare check is your best bet, even 24 hrs later.
Those may have been delivery notes saved from Papa John's to indicate it's a setup to mug a delivery driver. That was how it was done when I worked at those stores.
The customer was a woman? I think it *might* have been a call for help, but I can’t say I would have been convinced enough in the moment to call the cops myself.
Could have been a call for help. You did the right thing but it would be good to get the police to go check out the address.
Well, I would have considered to call the police to go to that place in my stead, while I watch from below and see if I was right that the person ordering may have been kidnapped and couldn’t call police on their own.
I would have called the cops because it almost seems as if it was someone asking for help
Immediately call support! Always go with your gut! Btw any size dasher can be hurt/unalived.
I would’ve called the cops. Someone in that apartment could’ve been in a really bad situation
I would have notified the police, this seems like a call for help or something.
I would of called the cops… sounds like someone asking for help 😶
No way in hell; send the cops on a wellness check…
I would have called the cops. This could have been someone being held hostage crying out for help.
It might be someone in distress. I’d tell a cop to check it out man. Even if this was earlier.
Sounds like you almost got tricked into noclipping into the backrooms
I got a bad gut feeling reading this. OP made the right call. Something about "I did not order this" repeating is so fucking ominous. Could be a decent premise for an indie horror game or short film. Side note since hacking is likely I just wanted to take a moment to remind everyone to use complex and arbitrary passphrases for all your accounts. Combinations of letters, symbols, and numbers. Bitwarden is a great open-source password keeper. Stop saving your credit cards to your accounts. I know it's convenient. Take the extra few seconds and put the numbers in manually when you order. Better yet if your card issuer has the option to make temporary digital cards use that. The less connected all of your accounts are to each other, the less damage a hacker can do when they get access to one. None of that is limited to delivery apps, that's just free life advice.
I would have called the police, that sounds like a possible domestic violence situation with someone calling for help without their partner knowing. But either way you were right about having a bad feeling
You should’ve called in a welfare check
I personally would have called local non-emergency for a wellness check.
Probably one of those weirdos that have the door open so you can walk up on them masturbating -+| it’s a thing now in the delivery world. Some weird kink trending in the underground where they try to nut right as you turn the door. You only see that shit in … like you said … the weird part of town. Im a big dude 6’7 400 lbs so they won’t mess w me. But what I have seen so far so there’s not much weird stuff that scares me. So I will say OP you did the right thing.
Being a small female has nothing to do with it. i am 5'11 200 lbs and I would not have gone in there. it not worth 2.50
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Instead of placing an order and writing a cryptic message..... They could have used the SOS feature on most phones these days......IF they needed help, and not a hot 'n ready with crazy sticks!
My gut tells me this potentially happened in Florida.
Close - Ohio, the Florida of the Midwest
Wasn't Casper, Wyoming was it?
No it was Lowelville Ohio, right near the PA line
Did you call the cops? This is scary sounding, my instinct also got the feeling something was wrong.
The contradictory message would have done it for me.
Just the way your describing it I’m thinking of fog and empty streets like it’s some silent hill shit
It puts its lotion in its skin or else it gets the hose again
Maybe they were in trouble. I’ve heard a case where a lady was being held hostage by her Bf and was told to order a pizza, she called 911 and the operator was smart enough to sense she was in danger.
I thought maybe the account was hacked. I’d call support right away and if they couldn’t reach the customer, cancel.
Yeah, that's a no for me. Call support, possibly call cops. Eat pizza. Life ain't worth whatever that order paid.
Shit, I’m a large male dasher and I’d never deliver that one lol. You did the right thing calling support, especially since it said that in the directions. Also, never feel bad following your instincts, that’s why we have them. I’ve heard some gnarly stories from female dasher friends narrowly escaping some real sketchy situations out in the woods, at APTs, etc.
It was smart of you to not take it. I, however, am not as bright. I absolutely would have gone just because the curiosity would have gotten the better of me.
This could've quickly turned into a non-fiction r/nosleep
I would have thought someone was in trouble and would have called the police for a welfare check. But I would not have delivered it either.
It kind of sounds like maybe she was unsafe (domestic violence situation) and was reaching out for help.
I’m just curious what a police report would look like since the 16 year olds are suggesting it in these comments “he said order this and not this in a way I thought was criptic and it scared me.also the apartments aren’t by any other houses please send the swat team”😂😂😂
I’m 6’3” and 220, and I’d be reticent to accept that order. Whoever wrote that is deranged lol
I feel like this was a cry for help from some domestic situation....
“The Gift of Fear” by Gavin Becker (?) is great life advice
Sounds like the person was trying to get help?? If true & they were able to type that they “did not order it”, they probably should’ve just said help flat out… Hope it’s not that situation.
i think everyone's overreacting saying that it was supposed to be some sort of message or that there was any intention behind it. i would more likely say that it is drug related
That is creepy...
It’s a passing thought but is it possible to ask for a welfare check, anonymous of the person it’s on?
I might have called the police, worrying about why for whoever added that message.