PREVIEW

WORDS BYLINE: Charlotte Phillips
A cake shop owner says her business has been left out of pocket after a delivery driver took a parcel containing a tablet needed to start taking Deliveroo orders.
Kellie Hawes, who runs Sweet Temptations Cakery in Tunbridge Wells town centre with her partner Keith, says the package was marked as delivered to her home in Southborough on Tuesday (March 10).
However, CCTV footage shows the driver walking away with it.
The mum-of-three says the parcel contained a tablet needed for the business, which opened in November 2024, to launch on Deliveroo, and she is now set to lose out on at least a week of trade as a result.
She told KentOnline: “We were supposed to have the delivery the day before at the shop, which didn't get to us, so they changed it to our home address.
“We got the email to say it has arrived, so we went home from the shop excited, as it meant we’d be able to get the Deliveroo system up and running.
“But we just couldn't find it anywhere. We checked our back garden to see if it had been chucked over the wall, but it was nowhere.”
To view the proof of delivery image, Kelly downloaded the Yodel app and set up an account, and there was a picture of the parcel outside her door.
Luckily, their next-door neighbour had a doorbell camera that captured the delivery of the parcel.
Kellie explained: “You can see him walk up to the door holding a big blue delivery box, he knocked twice, and then he walks away with the parcel still in hand down the road.”
Despite this, the parcel was still marked as delivered.
She got in touch with Deliveroo, who agreed to send a new tablet after she provided them with the evidence.
Kellie received an email from Yodel on Thursday (March 12) stating her original parcel was to be delivered that day – but she went back to them saying the response was “not good enough” as it did not address the theft.
In response, the company wrote: “I am very sorry for the distress and frustration this situation has caused you. We completely understand how serious this matter is, and I apologise sincerely for the upset caused.”
Kellie said: “The response was disgusting. The fact that they’ve just said it's fine and that they will deliver it – I don’t know if he's done anything to it, and he stole the parcel in the first place.
“I want this escalated. I want compensation for it. He needs to be sacked for it.”
The parcel arrived later that day, however she believes it had been opened and glued back down.
A spokesperson for Yodel said: “We are aware of this report and are currently investigating the journey of the parcel in question.
“Ensuring that our customers successfully receive their parcels is, and always will be, one of our top priorities.
“We take issues such as this extremely seriously and have robust processes in place to ensure they are thoroughly investigated and appropriate action is taken where required.”
The incident has delayed the business’s launch on Deliveroo, meaning the couple are currently unable to take orders through the platform.
“I think the frustration for us is that we as a business are losing money now,” Kellie said.
“You're talking potentially another week's worth of income that we will lose.
“It is completely useless because we've got a new one coming and the old one’s activation has been cancelled.
“Our new activation date is not until next Tuesday (March 17).
“You're literally watching this person walk off with no care in the world.
“The tablet itself is useless to anyone else, as it requires verification and activation through Deliveroo before it can be used.
“If we didn't have doorcam footage, it would’ve been our word against theirs.”
For now, the bakery’s planned launch on the delivery platform remains on hold.
“It's taken us about eight months to set up Deliveroo, so to even get this far and have that taken from you is really frustrating,” Kellie added.
She is now planning on installing cameras outside her home in the near future.
A police spokesperson has confirmed the force is investigating reports of the suspected theft.
They added: “A parcel is alleged to have been taken from a doorstep. Enquiries are ongoing.”