Mikey Campbell
Popular on-demand delivery services platform delivery.com on Friday notified users that it no longer accepts Apple Pay for laundry orders, saying the payment option was removed for problems outside the company's control.
As seen in the screenshot above, delivery.com is sending out email notifications about the policy shift to customers who previously used Apple Pay to pay for a laundry order within the last few months. The firm has accepted Apple Pay for laundry orders for at least two years.
"With this payment method we were not able to ensure the level of service that we strive towards here at delivery.com and have removed it due to problems outside of our control," the letter reads.
To make up for the updated terms, the company is offering users a $10 voucher to put toward their next laundry order.
Interestingly, the firm points out that other services, such as food and beverage delivery, are unaffected by the change. The modified conditions suggest a facet in delivery.com's laundry order procedure is incompatible with Apple Pay's processing backend.
Customers who use delivery.com's laundry service must provide weight estimates for clothes or other goods they want cleaned. Called "wash and fold," the service includes pickup, cleaning and re-delivery.
Wash orders are usually picked up within a business day, then weighed at the cleaning facility. If a weight discrepancy between the customer's per pound estimate and the retailer's confirmation is discovered, the price is adjusted and the proper amount is charged to a user's account.
While speculation, the estimate-based order system might have caused problems with Apple Pay processing. Apple's payments backend allows for some flexibility when it comes to adjusting transaction amounts, restaurant tips and gas pump charges being two examples. Frequently adjusted amounts from a single retailer, however, might raise red flags.
Considering delivery.com laundry orders are based on store confirmation of customer estimates, modifications of transaction amounts initially approved in-app are likely a common occurrence. The process of constantly approving and re-approving charges might have delayed Apple Pay payouts, which would affect order turnaround.
AppleInsider has reached out to delivery.com for comment and will update this article when a response is received.
Malcolm Owen
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10 Comments
1) Based on the email statement I couldn't figure out why they would signal out Apple Pay for a single service. Thanks for the educated guess as to why that might be an issue for frequently adjusted service.
2) I use the Starbucks app and I reload my account using Apple Pay on my iPhone. They could allow those who use the service frequently to reload an account in a similar fashion to regain the convenience of the Apple Pay support.
I always wondered how much flexibility merchants had in adjusting payment amounts post hoc. I paid for a conference once on site and they gave me the member discount. When my credit card statement arrived the charge was hundreds of dollars more because (as I learned when I called) they decided I wasn't eligible for the discount. Before then I wouldn't have thought that was possible.
I expect that your speculation is spot on that there are limits on how much a vendor can do this without having to justify it. Good for Apple for being more stringent than others. I expect there are plenty of unscrupulous businesses routinely padding their credit card changes since so few people would ever notice.
Never heard of them.