Objective: negative experiences with food delivery applications can erode consumer trust and reduce the perceived value of technology-mediated marketplaces. Methods: this study examines value co-destruction (VCD) by analyzing over 100,000 user reviews on Google Play for the 10 most popular food delivery apps in Brazil. Using natural language processing, sentiment analysis, and clustering techniques, the study identified recurring patterns of dissatisfaction and categorized them into nine distinct user experience (UX) failure clusters. These include payment system breakdowns, ineffective support, delivery delays, app performance issues, and usability barriers. Results: the analysis reveals that technological and operational misalignments, such as payment crashes, unresolved refunds, and rigid support processes, undermine perceived value. By linking consumer sentiment to specific mechanisms of VCD, the study advances the understanding of the ‘dark side’ of digital consumption and provides a scalable analytical framework for monitoring and diagnosing systemic service failures. Conclusions: the findings offer practical guidance for improving app stability, streamlining transaction processes, and designing more responsive and empathetic customer support. Ultimately, this helps digital platforms prevent value destruction and sustain consumer engagement.
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Codá et al. (2026) studied this question.
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