Order Errors (updated April 2024)

Note: This is a temporary page to reflect upcoming changes to the Order Errors page, the original page will be updated to reflect information on this page when changes come into effect on 03 June 2024.

We want to make it right, even if the order isn’t, and help protect your business from fraud.

Customers are looking for convenience, merchants are doing their best to fulfil orders quickly and correctly, and delivery people are busy on the road making deliveries. Usually, it all goes right. But when it doesn’t, a happy order becomes a sad order – fast.

That’s why we have support procedures in place to resolve customer issues on your behalf – fairly and efficiently. Sometimes, this means issuing refunds to customers who have had bad experiences. In these instances, your business may be held responsible for those refunds in the form of adjustments made to your payouts.

Protecting against fraud

We take fraudulent behaviour seriously and have filters in place to monitor both customer and delivery person behaviour — we will not make adjustments on suspicious refunds.

Customer fraud

Excessive refund request rates: We track customer refund history and take steps (such as deactivating fraudulent customers) to prevent abuse of our refund policy. 

Photo evidence required: We require photos to be submitted in many cases as evidence before making a refund decision.

Escalation circumstances: We escalate cases to a trained team for investigation and review before making refund decisions for requests that are: Not filed in a reasonable time frame; for high-value orders; for orders with alcohol item; or for first-time customers.

Delivery person fraud

Excessive missing item rates: Delivery people who have a significant number of missing item reports associated with their deliveries are automatically flagged in our systems. Partners are not charged for any refunds associated with deliveries from these delivery people.

Most orders placed on Uber Eats go off without a hitch, thanks to our merchants, delivery people and customers. A small portion of orders have errors reported by the customer, the delivery person or the merchant. Order error adjustments are the eligible customer refund costs that are deducted from payouts for circumstances within merchants’ control, and after fraud checks.

These are the customer refund costs that are deducted from partner payouts to cover order errors:

Customer may be compensated: We resolve customer errors fairly and on your behalf, sometimes issuing Uber credits or providing refunds.

Partners may be charged: Some refund costs may be passed to merchants after fraud review and removal of cases with extenuating circumstances.

Missing items: Customer did not receive an item, or part of an item, that was ordered. Applies to the Uber Delivery Option; Non-Delivery Option; and Self-Delivery Option.

Incorrect items: Customer received an item, or part of an item, that was not as ordered (including where an item contains an allergen when you have been notified of such allergen). Applies to the Uber Delivery Option; Non-Delivery Option; and Self-Delivery Option.

Incorrect orders: Customer received incorrect order (fault in relation to which, in Uber Eats’ reasonable judgement, can be attributed to the merchant). Applies to the Uber Delivery Option; Non-Delivery Option; and Self-Delivery Option.

Undelivered / unreceived orders: Customer never received their order. Applies to the Self-Delivery Option and Non-Delivery Option. 

Quality: Customer quality complaints (e.g. burnt / raw (except where the item is sold as a raw item) / stale / spoiled / rotten / mouldy food or items past / on their expiry date). This applies to Uber Delivery Option; Non-Delivery Option; Self-Delivery Option, as well as Pack and Deliver Option. 

Self-delivery order error: An order is delivered by your own delivery staff and there is an error with the order or the customer reports it as too hot / cold or damaged (eg, damaged packaging; spilled food / drinks; melted or defrosted). The refund will include the cost of the items as well as any delivery fee (and any other fee) that you charge. Applies to the Self-Delivery Option. 

Pick up order errors: Customer orders food to pick up from you and there is an error with the order or the customer reports it as too hot / cold or damaged (eg, damaged packaging; spilled food / drinks; melted or defrosted). Applies to the Non-Delivery Option.

Note: Some of these may not apply to self-delivery and pick up orders.

Late customer reports: Errors reported more than 96 hours after order was placed.

Fraudulent activity: Errors on orders with possibly fraudulent customers or delivery people.

Undelivered orders: Customer never received order (unless it is a self-delivery or pick up order).

Suspicious deliveries: Customer received incorrect order where delivery person had multiple orders at once, delivered in less than half the ETA or delivered far from the drop-off (unless it is a self-delivery order).

Damaged orders: Customer damage complaints (e.g. tampered packaging, spilled liquids) (unless it is a self-delivery or pick up order).

Food temperature: Customer poor food temperature complaints (e.g. food arriving too cold / hot) (unless it is a self-delivery or pick up order).

Late deliveries: Customer late delivery complaints (unless it is a self-delivery).

To make it easy for you and your team to stay up-to-date on this information, we include order error adjustment details in multiple places. (Please see the Monitoring tab below.)

Please note: A customer might not report the order error in the same week the order was fulfilled. In those cases, adjustments may be reflected in subsequent weeks’ reports.

Calculating

Order error adjustments calculations

The amount adjusted on your payout will range from a portion up to the full cost for the item(s) with errors at the time of the order, including tax/GST. For partially missing or incorrect items – often related to combo meal items that have an entree and side or drink included – the a la carte cost of the missing or incorrect portion of the item will be adjusted from your pay. Certain fees paid by the customer may also be deducted from your payout, as described in the Merchant Refund Policy and on this page. Please note: We retain the full Uber Eats Fee for the entire order.

Fees your business will not be charged for: You will not be responsible for any delivery fees, service fees, or small order fees charged to the customer (unless using your own delivery staff).

Monitoring

Your downloadable Order Error reports

Just go to your Uber Eats Manager portal and check the Reports tab to download the Order Errors (Transaction) report. This downloadable CSV file includes a row for each order error with detailed info such as issue type, item(s) in error, customer refund amount, merchant charge amount and amount covered by Uber.

Your downloadable Payment CSV files

Also available in the Reports tab of your Uber Eats Manager portal is the option to download the Payment Details report to reconcile payments. This downloadable CSV file includes a row for each order error adjustment, plus any associated tax.

Your Uber Eats Manager Payments tab

You can review the Payments tab of your Uber Eats Manager portal to see if there are any adjustments listed. If any adjustments occurred, you’ll see a red indicator box that says Order Error next to the relevant orders. By clicking into the order, you can see the reported error and the breakdown of your adjustment and net payout.

We’ve gathered some best practices from merchants on how to minimise the errors that could potentially lead to customer refunds and adjustments.

Up-to-date menu: Log in to your Uber Eats Manager portal to ensure that your menu is up to date with the correct customisations and prices.

Printed receipts: Check off items on a printed receipt to confirm that the contents in the bag are accurate.

Tamper-evident materials: Seal each order bag with tamper-evident materials when an order is complete.

Order number: Write the 5-digit order number on the bag for easy identification.

Number the bags: If there are multiple bags in a single order, number the bags (‘1 of 2’ and then ‘2 of 2’, etc.).

Handoff: Double-check during hand-off that every bag gets picked up by the correct delivery person.

Meat/poultry not cooked to safe internal temperature: Ensure meat and poultry is cooked to a safe internal temperature before packing.

Contamination: Remove any trace of food contamination (e.g. stale or mouldy food) from your preparation, storage and packing areas.

Item quality: Ensure you select items that are not on / past their expiry date, and are good quality (e.g. not mouldy).