A difficult climb ends with a cancelled delivery
Nihir, a Zomato delivery worker with a physical disability, says he climbed to the second floor of a building without a lift to deliver a Rs 50 packet of Maggi, only to discover at the customer's door that the order had been cancelled. He says the customer had refused his request to collect the parcel downstairs, despite being told that he had difficulty climbing stairs.
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His Instagram video shows him struggling up the staircase and includes a screenshot displaying the words "Order Cancelled". The account drew widespread sympathy and criticism of the customer's alleged behaviour, with the video attracting more than 26.1 million views at one reported count.
The central dispute concerns a small purchase and a much larger physical effort. According to Nihir, the customer argued that they had paid a delivery charge and questioned why they should come downstairs for a Rs 50 order. Nihir attempted the climb anyway.
Coverage published on October 31, 2026, identified the rider as Nihir. The exact date and location of the delivery, the customer's explanation, and any response from Zomato were not given. The allegations originated in his social media account and have not been independently verified.
What Nihir says happened at the building
Nihir described arriving with the parcel and calling the customer to explain his physical limitations. He said the building had no lift and the delivery address was on the second floor, so he asked the customer to come down.
The customer allegedly declined, referring to the price of the Maggi and the additional delivery charge. Nihir then decided to try reaching the door himself. The video shows him leaving his crutches behind and moving slowly up the steps, visibly struggling with the climb.
Nihir said that by the time he reached the customer's floor and stood outside the door, the order had been cancelled. He displayed a screenshot carrying the cancellation message as part of his account.
Nihir, the delivery worker who posted the video, described the outcome in its caption. Translated from Hindi, it read:
I took the parcel all the way to the customer's house, but the customer cancelled the order.
His account places the discovery of the cancellation at the end of the climb. For him, reaching the requested address meant negotiating the very obstacle he had asked the customer to help him avoid.
Why the downstairs collection request matters
Nihir also addressed a question raised by viewers: whether the customer had been told about his disability before the attempted delivery. He said Zomato informs customers when their assigned delivery worker has a disability and asks them to confirm only if they can collect the order downstairs.
That description comes from Nihir. No statement from Zomato confirming how such a notification operated in this order accompanied the account.
A downstairs collection arrangement would make the meeting point part of the delivery itself. In this case, the practical issue was whether the parcel could be handed over at an accessible location or whether Nihir would have to climb two floors without a lift.
The customer's alleged reference to paying for delivery explains the disagreement as Nihir described it. The customer expected the parcel upstairs; the worker said the stairs were difficult for him to manage. The Rs 50 price was the reported cost of the item, with a separate delivery charge also mentioned but not specified.
Viewers question the person filming
Some viewers focused on the presence of someone recording Nihir as he climbed. They asked why that person had not carried the parcel upstairs or otherwise helped him complete the delivery.
Nihir responded that he does not have a cameraman accompanying him all the time. He said he sometimes asks other people to help record his videos. His explanation addressed an assumption in the comments that the person behind the camera was a regular companion.
Nihir also said he could not simply give the parcel to someone else to take to the customer because the customer might complain about him handing the order to another person. He presented that concern as his reason for attempting the delivery himself.
His response describes two separate tasks: recording what happened and taking responsibility for the parcel. In Nihir's account, finding someone willing to film did not resolve his concern about asking another person to complete the handover.
Millions watch, with sympathy and scepticism
The video attracted more than 26.1 million views at one reported count. Another published tally recorded more than 1 million likes and more than 34,000 comments, showing the scale of the response to Nihir's account.
Many commenters expressed sympathy and criticised the alleged refusal to come downstairs. Some argued that paying for a delivery service did not justify disregarding a worker's physical limitations or treating that worker disrespectfully.
Other users sent encouragement to Nihir and praised his determination to continue working despite the difficulties he described. Their reactions focused on the effort involved in completing an ordinary delivery when the route to the customer's door was physically difficult.
Some viewers also suggested that the incident might have been staged. Others understood the video as an attempt to draw attention to the difficulties delivery workers encounter. The discussion therefore included both support for Nihir and challenges to his presentation of events.
A small order becomes a dispute about access
The missing lift is central to this account. A parcel that was small enough to carry in one hand still required a difficult journey for a worker using crutches. The obstacle was the route through the building, rather than the size or price of the purchase.
Nihir's request offered a concrete way to complete the handover: the customer could meet him downstairs. According to his account, that request failed, leaving him to decide whether to attempt the staircase.
The cancellation then changed the outcome of that effort. Nihir said he reached the door with the order but could no longer complete the delivery. His disappointment, expressed in the video and caption, centred on having made the climb before discovering the cancellation.
The reaction also exposed different expectations about paid delivery. Supportive commenters recognised the customer's expectation of receiving an order while arguing that the worker's physical circumstances deserved consideration. Their criticism was directed at the alleged treatment of Nihir during the exchange.
Zomato's role entered the discussion through Nihir's description of advance notifications and his concern about a possible complaint if another person carried the parcel. Those details make the handling of the order part of the story alongside the conversation between the rider and customer.
Key Points
- Nihir, a Zomato delivery worker with a physical disability, says a customer refused to collect a Rs 50 Maggi order downstairs.
- He says the building had no lift and he climbed to the second floor before discovering that the order had been cancelled.
- His Instagram video includes footage of the climb and a screenshot displaying "Order Cancelled".
- Nihir said customers are notified about a delivery worker's disability and asked to confirm that they can collect downstairs.
- The video attracted more than 26.1 million views at one reported count, drawing sympathy as well as questions about the filming.
- The allegations have not been independently verified, and no customer explanation or Zomato response accompanied the account.
