Tears of joy as delivery rider’s kindness rewarded

 

A delivery rider’s kindness towards his customer and his refusal to receive any compensation has warmed many Malaysian hearts in this time of adversity.

It all began two weeks ago when Grab Food user Vijaya Kasinathan mistakenly placed an order to be sent to her office in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur when she was already home more than 20 kilometres away in Puchong, Selangor.

Vijaya said it was too late to change the destination when she realised this so she called the rider, Muhammad Azrul Abu Hassan, 25, to tell him to keep the food for himself instead.

“I asked him to keep the food (from restaurant Madam Kwan’s) for himself but Azrul said he felt bad that I wouldn't have anything to eat and decided to send the meal to my house in Puchong anyway, free of charge.

“I never anticipated such courtesy and effort from this young (man). I was truly bowled over,” she wrote in a widely-circulated post on LinkedIn on Sunday.

As a thank-you gesture, she said she gave the rider a tip put in an envelope which Azrul accepted but without checking what was inside.

Once he realised the envelope contained RM100 in cash, he turned back.

“Azrul came back to my house, with tears welled up in his eyes, saying ‘What you have given me is too much',” Vijaya recalled.

“I told him, ‘Listen son, no one can put a value on what you just did for me. Please accept this [...] go buy yourself something nice’.”

‘I felt bad for the customer’

Speaking to Malaysiakini, Azrul who lives in Kuala Lumpur, said he chose to undertake the 30-minute trip to Puchong because he felt terrible knowing customers would not have anything to eat if he did not make the delivery.

He added that the order was fairly late at night and at the time, most food outlets were already closed due to the latest movement control order (MCO).

"I was welcomed nicely by Puan Jaya’s family (when I arrived) and even her mother wanted to meet me to express her gratitude," he added.

He said he opened the envelope she gave him when he stopped at a petrol station thinking he could use the money to fuel up.

“I thought it was RM5 or RM10 and I could use it for refuelling but the amount was quite big. So I returned to Puan Jaya's place and gave it back," he said.

Azrul said he only wanted to help plus he felt uncomfortable accepting such a huge amount of money more so when Vijaya had covered the cost of delivery and other charges.

He said Vijaya convinced him to accept the tip by telling him he could give it to his child instead.

While chatting with Vijaya, Azrul said she also offered to assist him if he faced any difficulties in the future.

Touched and wanting to remember the occasion, Azrul took a photo with Vijaya’s mother (main photo).

‘Support one another’

When asked about social media users' positive comments, Azrul said he did not expect anything in return for his action.

"I am also grateful to have met by nice people like Puan Jaya and her family.”

He believes that the community should learn to support one another regardless of ethnicity or religion.

“I also hope that my fellow delivery riders can carry out their responsibilities with honesty and trust,” he said.

"Ride the motorbike safely and always take care of yourself,” he said.

LinkedIn users showered Azrul and Vijaya with compliments for helping each other.

“Proof that humanity exists regardless of the pain the world is enduring. Profound gesture from both sides!” commented LinkedIn user, Sheela Pillai.

Another LinkedIn user, Rayment Quah Eng Tong thanked Vijaya for sharing the story and said, “This should be an example to show to the world”.

Twitter users also praised Azrul's deeds and urged Grab to reward the young man.

“Kindness. It only takes that. May Allah bless him in his quest. Grab must be sure to give an appreciation to Azrul for his efforts.

"Young man, you are a real hero. Nowadays, we rarely meet them. Well done, Azrul," one Twitter user said.

Azrul said Grab had also called him to express gratitude for his gesture and to convey its delight. - Mkini