Gossip

"Houston, we need a cockup" - Domino doesn't deliver

by Guy Kewney | posted on 11 May 2002

Were you thinking of ordering a pizza from your cable TV company while watching The Simpsons? Think again ...

Domino's Pizza sees itself as a technology pioneer, and encourages you to order your comestibles via the Internet. Feel free! - but be warned that behind the scenes, things aren't quite as slick as they appear on the surface.

Our Sniffer, hunkiest of mice, felt peckish, and sent the requisite packets to Domino's online and placed an order. They accepted the order. And then time went by. Eventually, the Hunky one's patience ran out, and he phoned the local store in some irritation. "No, no order has been received here. Who did you talk to?"

Angry packets were exchanged of digitised vocalisations.

It transpires that the central ordering facility accepts the order, and prints it out centrally. Then it feeds the paper into a fax machine ...

Now, for a special prize, guess whose fault it is if the order isn't received?