Ele.me System Glitch Sparks User Backlash, Disrupts "Start of Autumn Milk Tea" Delivery Battle

On August 7, many users reported system crashes on the Ele.me platform, encountering issues such as no delivery riders accepting orders and severe delays. Some complained online: "Ele.me is down," "can't cancel orders," "yesterday's order still shows as 'preparing'," and the topic "Ele.me is down" quickly trended on social media.

On social platforms, some netizens said they logged into the event page right on time, only to be kicked out due to overwhelming traffic. Others complained about waiting an hour without any rider accepting their order, while some couldn’t cancel orders or get responses from customer service.

One user posted: "The first milk tea of autumn arrived an hour late." In response, Ele.me’s customer service stated, "We sincerely apologize for the delay. If your order is delayed by over 30 minutes, you’ll receive a 15-yuan compensation voucher."

Around 1 p.m. on August 7, a Jiemian News reporter found on Ele.me’s mini-program that delivery times for milk tea and coffee shops within a few hundred meters to over a kilometer were generally around 50 minutes. As of now, the platform has not publicly addressed the "Ele.me is down" issue.

For Taobao, August 7 marked the "Start of Autumn," a key promotional moment for "autumn milk tea." August 8 is Taobao’s 88VIP membership day, and August 9 is its flash sale "Super Saturday," forming a three-day mini marketing cycle. Taobao previously announced that weekend orders had consistently exceeded 90 million for several weeks.

Public information shows Taobao Flash Sales appointed actress Jin Chen as the ambassador for "the first milk tea of autumn" on July 31. The platform’s page advertised daily 18.8-yuan red packets and an additional 1,800-yuan coupon bundle.

Meanwhile, Meituan recently named table tennis player Sun Yingsha as its "Delicious Life" ambassador, launching a "Start of Autumn Milk Tea Carnival" with limited-time 20-yuan discount coupons.

Earlier reports indicated that some delivery platforms coordinated with top regional tea brands to ensure sufficient inventory and delivery capacity for Start of Autumn. Others negotiated with leading coffee and tea chains to reserve stock and co-launch new products during the period.

In July, the "delivery battle" trended as restaurants faced overwhelming orders. On July 18, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation summoned major platforms, urging standardized promotions and healthy competition in the food delivery industry.

On August 1, Meituan, Taobao, Ele.me, and JD.com issued statements pledging to "regulate promotions" by curbing excessive subsidies, avoiding irrational discounts, and refraining from selling below cost.