Grab Vietnam Apologizes for False Assault Report, Driver Undergoes Retraining

Grab Vietnam has issued an official statement addressing a recent incident where a GrabFood driver in Hanoi falsely reported a male customer for physical assault. The company outlined its investigation steps and apologized for the negative user experience. According to Grab, immediately after receiving the report, the platform contacted both parties involved to gather information and ensure an objective resolution. During this verification process, the driver admitted to fabricating the assault claim and expressed deep remorse, requesting an opportunity to continue working on the platform. Grab stated that it carefully reviewed the incident, the driver's operating history, and its Partner Code of Conduct. Consequently, the company temporarily suspended the driver's account. Furthermore, Grab has mandated the driver to complete mandatory retraining before any request to reactivate his account will be reviewed. "We sincerely regret that this situation impacted the user's experience. Grab constantly strives to refine our reporting and verification process based on feedback," a Grab representative added. The incident occurred on the afternoon of July 28. Mr. H.P., an office worker in Hanoi, ordered food through the GrabFood app. He stated that the delivery process was smooth and that he collected his food from the building lobby without any argument. However, 30 minutes later, Grab customer service contacted him to inform him that the driver had reported him for physical assault. Knowing the claim was false, Mr. H.P. asked the driver to return so they could review the building's security footage together. Both the security footage and building guards confirmed that no assault occurred. Mr. H.P. expressed frustration, noting that Grab initially seemed to rely solely on the driver's one-sided claim. He also mentioned being asked by customer support to provide video evidence to prove his innocence. The driver had also claimed Mr. H.P. made him wait too long, but call logs indicated the driver called at 12:31 PM and again at 12:35 PM, the exact time Mr. H.P. arrived in the lobby. The four-minute wait was attributed to the time needed to take the elevator from the 22nd floor. After verifying the facts, Grab contacted Mr. H.P. to apologize and confirmed the driver had lied. In an email, Grab stated the driver recognized the severity of his actions and wished to apologize. Grab clarified that asking customers for evidence is not to force them to prove innocence but to help cross-check reports from both sides. Ultimately, Grab acknowledged the incident damaged the customer's experience and promised to improve its dispute resolution process moving forward.