Page 7 - IAV Digital Magazine #499

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
OAP Keeps Mysteriously Receiving Loads Of Pizza He Didn’t Order
By Emma Rosemurgey
I can’t lie, an end- less supply of mys- tery pizza turning up at your door sounds like a dream come true.
However, a series of random take- away deliveries quickly turned into a nightmare for Jean Van Landegham, who has been having unwanted pizzas ordered to his address for almost a decade.
The 65-year-old, from Turnhout in Belgium, has apparently been having up to 14 pizzas at a time turn up on his doorstep for the past nine years,
despite the fact he hasn’t ordered a single one of them.
While it might sound like a funny prank, Jean, of course, hasn’t accepted any of the deliveries, which means the local businesses producing the orders are left out of pocket.
‘Nine years ago it started,’ Jean told local media. ‘Suddenly there was a pizza deliv- ery boy at his door with a load of piz- zas. But I hadn’t ordered anything at all.’
At first, Jean just assumed that the delivery firm must have mixed up the address and
brought him some- one else’s order by mistake.
Soon enough though, the OAP released that he was in fact the vic- tim of a targeted hoax, after he began receiving not just pizza, but kebabs and other takeaway meals. ‘Both on weekdays and weekends, and at all hours of the day, from vari- ous suppliers in Turnhout and the surrounding area,’ he said.
At first, Jean just assumed that the delivery firm must have mixed up the address and brought him some- one else’s order by mistake.
Soon enough
though, the OAP released that he was in fact the vic- tim of a targeted hoax, after he began receiving not just pizza, but kebabs and other takeaway meals. ‘Both on weekdays and weekends, and at all hours of the day, from vari- ous suppliers in Turnhout and the surrounding area,’ he said.
Jean recalled:
A pizza delivery man has even been here at 2am. I just can’t sleep anymore. With every moped I hear driving down the street I get nervous because I am afraid that a fresh load of piz- zas will arrive.
Things have turned so extreme that Jean has even had delivery drivers from different take- aways showing up at his door at the same time.
‘I always refuse the pizzas, so I never had to pay any- thing,’ he said. ‘So, this pizza terror is not only very diffi- cult for me, but also for the suppli- ers, because it costs them money every time they have to throw away those pizzas or kebabs. When there were 10 couriers here last year, the total bill was over €450 (£404).’
The phantom piz- zas haven’t quite managed to put Jean off from enjoying a cheeky slice every now and then, but only when he purchas- es them himself.
‘Have I ever accepted a deliv- ery? No, I like piz- zas, but not four- teen at a time,’ he said. ‘What’s more, I always get frozen pizzas from Colruyt or Aldi. I have never requested a
home delivery.’
Although the 65- year-old has never managed to get to the bottom of the mystery deliveries, he believes it could potentially be one of his mates, because he has another friend who has faced similar issues.
‘She too has been receiving unwanted pizza deliveries for nine years,’ Jean said. ‘Sometimes even on the same day. When we receive a delivery, we warn each other so that we can expect another pizza delivery. Maybe someone from our mutual circle of friends is behind this.’
He added:
I finally want to know who, because I’m thor- oughly tired of this. That person won’t be okay when I find out who’s been doing this to me for nine years.
What a waste of pizzas. Send ‘em my way, phantom pizza sender.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine