Food delivery platform Menulog says it will honour vouchers issued by former competitor Deliveroo Australia, after the company’s collapse effectively left gift card holders as unsecured creditors.
However, a $75 redemption limit is unlikely to cover the full value of vouchers bought by Australian businesses.
Deliveroo Australia entered voluntary administration on Wednesday, retaining the services of KordaMentha to handle restaurants and delivery riders with outstanding claims against the gig economy player.
In its shut-down statement, Deliveroo Australia pledged “guaranteed enhanced severance payments for employees as well as compensation for riders and for certain restaurant partners”.
Less certain was reimbursement for gift card holders — whose unspent balances effectively act as loans in the corporate collapse.
The rise of virtual team lunches through COVID-19 lockdowns saw company leaders splash out on meal delivery services, and order-in options remain a popular initiative for businesses hoping to lure workers back into the office.
But firms with outstanding Deliveroo Australia credit are likely to find themselves at the end of a long line of stakeholders in the administration process.
Sharon Melamed, founder of corporate services consultancy Matchboard, said $1,300 of Deliveroo Australia vouchers bought for her clients are now unusable.
“We’ll all be lucky to get our money back, as Deliveroo trades on happily in other markets,” Melamed said Friday. “Just doesn’t seem right.”
We are one of many companies sitting on large numbers of now unusable Deliveroo gift vouchers 😢 As Deliveroo trades on in other markets, this just does not seem right. https://t.co/RGNMzcIvbB
— Matchboard (@sharon_melamed) November 16, 2022
On Friday afternoon, competitor Menulog announced a partial workaround for gift voucher creditors: the platform said it would honour outstanding Deliveroo balances, up to $75, with gift card holders able to redeem that value in Menulog orders instead.
“We expect there will be a lot of customers with unused Deliveroo vouchers and gift cards, so we would like to give them the opportunity to redeem those vouchers on their next Menulog order,” said Menulog managing director Morten Belling.
Gift card values will be rounded up, with $17 vouchers becoming $20 of Menulog credit, the company added.
Those looking to access the swap service can do so via the Menulog Facebook page.
Senior Business Journalist
Focused on the small business sector, David’s work covers the political, regulatory, and economic issues facing Australian entrepreneurs. Prior to joining SmartCompany, he was a reporter for Business Insider Australia. You can follow him on LinkedIn.
