(CNN) — Seven dollars multiplied by empathy on an online fundraising page equals more than $11,000 for a pizza delivery guy who received an apology for how he was treated at a Massachusetts business.
The sales manager of a Westport car dealership has apologized “for the actions” of employees caught on camera “belittling” the delivery driver. The conversation in an office focused on whether the driver believed he had received a tip or should have made change for the order.
“We will [sic] like to apologize for the actions that led to this situation, this embarrassing video gone viral on the Internet, was not released by any employee of F&R Auto Sales,” Gary Batista, sales manager for the business, said in a statement provided to CNN.
A GoFundme.Com page set up by a woman who saw the video had raised $11,500 for the driver by Thursday night.
The situation began Saturday, when Palace Pizza delivery guy Jarrid Tansey delivered $42 worth of pizzas and drinks to the dealership. He was paid $50 in two $20s and two $5s, said Palace Pizza manager Adam Willoughby.
When he returned from the delivery, someone from the car dealership called Willoughby, asking for the driver to return with change — roughly $7 and some coins.
The video begins when Tansey returns to the dealership with the money.
Upon handing over the change to a man seated behind a desk, Tansey can be heard saying, “It just doesn’t make sense why you’d hand me a bill that you were just gonna have me drive back here to give you back anyway.”
The man says to Tansey, “I gave you everything they gave me so we would get the correct change.”
The two go back and forth a few more times, neither giving up his position.
“I’m not mad, I just had to waste my resources coming back here,” Tansey says as he starts to leave.
The man says to Tansey, “The manager apologized once for you, do you want him to apologize again for you?””
Tansey responds, “You got your $7 back, so the world is right now.”
One female employee follows Tansey out of the office, saying to him, “Out the door before I put my foot in your a**,” which prompts her co-workers to erupt in laughter.
That woman’s employment has since been terminated, according to Batista’s statement. One of those involved was not an employee, he said.
The video ends after another man, also using expletives, instructs his colleague to get Tansey’s “owner and manager” on the phone.
“I want him fired,” he says.
Amanda Rogers, a former waitress, was so moved after seeing Tansey’s video on LiveLeak, she called the pizza shop to find out the driver’s name so she could send him a check.
“For them to call him back over money he should’ve received anyway,” Rogers said, “I decided to take it one step further.”
“Why not get the kid more than he deserves?” she said.
Rogers set up the fundraising page for Tansey. It’s entitled “Get Jarrid his tip money!”
Many are leaving donations in $7 increments, the amount Tansey drove back to return to the dealership. One commenter wrote, “You are a good example of someone treating people the way you want to be treated.”
Rogers, who was a stranger to Tansey and his wife before this all started, said she hopes the response would prove that, “people are actually nice out there.”
The video, seemingly shot by a stationary surveillance camera, was initially posted on YouTube with the headline “irate pizza driver.” It has since been made private, and it’s unclear who posted it, though Batista said in his statement the person is not an employee of F&R Auto Sales and had no authorization to do so.
Batista said the owner and proprietor plan to offer Tansey a cash donation, though his statement doesn’t specify how much or whether they’ve spoken to the driver.
Willoughby said the son of the owner of the dealership stopped by Palace Pizza on Wednesday to offer an apology in person.
Willoughby said the response at Palace Pizza has also been overwhelming.
“It’s been tough to make pizzas with all the calls we’ve taken,” he said.
