Police said a man in Hamilton, Ont., whose Uber Eats McDonald鈥檚 order turned out to be an unhappy meal on Canada Day, called 911 to report an allegedly cold burger and fries.
Hamilton police said the 鈥渋rate鈥� man decided to take his complaint to the nearby McDonald鈥檚 location, where the order originated. A dispute then erupted over who was to blame 鈥� the restaurant鈥檚 staff or the driver for the Uber Eats delivery service.
鈥淗e was extremely upset,鈥� Hamilton police spokesperson Jackie Penman told CTVNews.ca on Thursday. 鈥淭here was a communication between the officers and the individual. They brought him to an understanding that it wasn鈥檛 a police matter.鈥�
She added that the fast food fracas serves as a reminder to the public that 911 is for emergencies, and not a means to lodge meal-related complaints.
鈥�911 isn鈥檛 a customer service or general information line,鈥� Penman said. 鈥淭he system is certainly meant for life and death emergencies. A cold hamburger and fries certainly does not constitute that.鈥�
She said no charges were brought against the man, but warned that improper use of 911 could result in charges of public mischief.
鈥淭hese types of calls are more common than you think,鈥� Penman said. 鈥淣uisance calls can tie up the lines and make it harder for people to get in touch with our dispatchers in the case of an emergency.鈥�
