"It was like a fever dream"

Dispute over crushed food delivery escalated

This is what the delivery looked like.(Bild: AG)

Because the food he ordered only arrived after two hours and had run dry, a man from Linz asked for a new delivery - which was incomplete and also squashed. The ensuing dispute ended up in Linz Regional Court on Friday. There, the delivery driver was acquitted of the charge of making a dangerous threat in case of doubt.

"We are not great cooks and therefore order very often. But I've never come across anything like this before, it was like a fever dream", a young man from Linz (26) told the "Krone". He and his partner had ordered food from a well-known Arabic restaurant in September. "When the delivery driver arrived after two hours with completely battered food, I told him that it wouldn't work and that he should please bring us the three dishes again," the logistics expert recounts.

"You must be Jewish"
However, only one dish arrived on the second attempt, and even that was not in an appetizing state according to the angry customer. "When I told him that, the delivery man completely lost it. He threatened me, shouted at me and said I must be Jewish because my surname is German and we were talking in Arabic," says the Syrian, who speaks Russian, Kurdish and some Hebrew as well as accent-free German and Arabic. The argument with the supplier is said to have even turned violent, which is why his partner called the police.

Acquittal in case of doubt
The couple pressed charges against the delivery driver, and on Friday the Linz Regional Court heard the case for making a dangerous threat. The delivery driver was acquitted in case of doubt, the acquittal is legally binding. The 26-year-old doesn't understand: "I didn't expect that. We'll never order from there again."