Uber eats just stealing from consumers now?

voluted

Student_debt_Hype said:

I recently experienced an issue with Uber Eats where I was missing several items from my McDelivery order. When I contacted (uber eats) support, they refused to issue a partial refund despite clear evidence that the items were missing. I asked for very reasonable things:

• Escalation to a senior support member.
• A formal complaint be raised that I can use in a follow up
• A support number so I can talk to someone over the phone. 
• The criteria for a refund and how I have not met it. 

None of these questions were answered.

My very limited understanding is that under the consumer rights act I have the right to the goods I ordered or a refund for the goods I didn't receive. I have a VERY long support chat (about 7 support agents) who outright refuse to acknowledge someone has gone wrong. They just end the support message with:

We've thoroughly reviewed the details surrounding your delivery and we are unable to process a refund. While we can't change our decision regarding there refund, we are here to assist you with any other concerns or questions you may have 

I understand that perhaps this is not the experience you wanted to go through; However in this case we can only note down your feedback.

When googling, It seems this is a common issue, but here's where it gets frustrating: If you initiate a chargeback to get your money back for missing items, you risk getting banned from the service. This feels like a "no-win" situation for consumers, where you're either left without the goods you paid for or penalized for seeking a refund.

Given that Uber Eats doesn't take responsibility for delivery issues, and McDonald's claims no liability for missing items.

This feels like this kind of behavior should be investigated? At a layman's level, a company has stolen from a consumer.

As far as I've found in my searching there Isn't an ombudsman or authority that handles consumer complaints like this. 

It feels like a stupid hill to die on, but the bottom line is you extrapolate my £5 quid in missing fries, across, say 10% of orders that could A LOT of money, and it does feel fair that:

• A big company can just take your money when goods are missing, if you took goods with payment missing that would be a BIG problem for the consumer.
• When trying to raise the issue, the support agents (it might even be AI) refuse to escalate, open a formal complain 

I know its probably a stupid hill to die on, but it just feels so wrong. I've just come off the back of the energy ombudsman ruling in favour of my partner and I, which was really hard (the energy company was super predatory), I nearly just gave in and paid what they alleged I owe. I'm glad I fought it.

It changed the way I thought about my rights as a consumer: I don't want to be taken for a ride (however small the issue) by big companies any more. 

Now my partner things I am... well, frankly she thinks I'm insane. But my solution is to record a video (without the delivery drivers face) of the process of being handed the items to unpacking them from here on out. I am going to collect this 'evidence' and I am going to write to my MP about this with as 'hard' evidence as I can make. 

Is this only me? Am I the only crazy person that thinks this is wrong?

What clear evidence did you provide that the items were not there when they were delivered?

Uber Eats is a delivery partner, there would be no incentive for them to "steal" fries as they don't make the food. What would the driver do with a load of cold, stale fries?

Hoenir

Student_debt_Hype said:

Hoenir said:

Check your order before allowing the delivery person to leave. Unfortunately your word alone isn't going to be sufficient to pursue a claim. No doubt there's many people claiming things fraudulently simply to recoup their monetary outlay.  

Out of curiosity - whats the procedure here? 

Open you mouth and speak politely I'd suggest. Should take a matter of seconds to check the contents. 

Student_debt_Hype

Hoenir said:

Student_debt_Hype said:

Hoenir said:

Check your order before allowing the delivery person to leave. Unfortunately your word alone isn't going to be sufficient to pursue a claim. No doubt there's many people claiming things fraudulently simply to recoup their monetary outlay.  

Out of curiosity - whats the procedure here? 

Open you mouth and speak politely I'd suggest. Should take a matter of seconds to check the contents. 

I've never known a delivery driver (me included) to be patient. But I suppose asking and trying this may help. 

Still - the official process is they wouldn't take the food back if its the right order number? So if its missing I'm still out of luck, I have to go through the bad support, and the result is the same, but now I've made the delivery driver cold.

Student_debt_Hype

voluted said:

What clear evidence did you provide that the items were not there when they were delivered?

Uber Eats is a delivery partner, there would be no incentive for them to "steal" fries as they don't make the food. What would the driver do with a load of cold, stale fries?

To be clear, I don't think the driver stole my food. The bag was sealed. I think I paid for goods I did not receive. 

The reason I use 'steal' is partially hyperbolic but it's because if they don't provide me a partial refund for the items I didn't get -  this is a breach in contract under the consumer rights act 2015. And in laymens they have stolen the money I gave them for goods that I did not receive. 

born_again

Complaint should be against the suppling outlet. Rather than the delivery co, when you admit that they did not "Steal" the item.

voluted

Student_debt_Hype said:

voluted said:

What clear evidence did you provide that the items were not there when they were delivered?

Uber Eats is a delivery partner, there would be no incentive for them to "steal" fries as they don't make the food. What would the driver do with a load of cold, stale fries?

To be clear, I don't think the driver stole my food. The bag was sealed. I think I paid for goods I did not receive. 

The reason I use 'steal' is partially hyperbolic but it's because if they don't provide me a partial refund for the items I didn't get -  this is a breach in contract under the consumer rights act 2015. And in laymens they have stolen the money I gave them for goods that I did not receive. 

So what "clear evidence" did you provide that UberEats ignored?

Hoenir

Student_debt_Hype said:

Hoenir said:

Student_debt_Hype said:

Hoenir said:

Check your order before allowing the delivery person to leave. Unfortunately your word alone isn't going to be sufficient to pursue a claim. No doubt there's many people claiming things fraudulently simply to recoup their monetary outlay.  

Out of curiosity - whats the procedure here? 

Open you mouth and speak politely I'd suggest. Should take a matter of seconds to check the contents. 

I've never known a delivery driver (me included) to be patient. But I suppose asking and trying this may help. 

Still - the official process is they wouldn't take the food back if its the right order number? So if its missing I'm still out of luck, I have to go through the bad support, and the result is the same, but now I've made the delivery driver cold.

If there's an item missing it can dealt with. You've the delivery person to substantiate your claim. After the event you've nothing. Hence my earlier comment. Many people in his world happily lie to benefit themselves. Companies would soon go bust if they gave away refunds without question or evidence. 

The deliver driver going cold isn't your issue either. That's for the fast food outlet to address as their error. Or for delivery people to decide not worth the hassle to do the job. 

Student_debt_Hype

voluted said:

Student_debt_Hype said:

voluted said:

What clear evidence did you provide that the items were not there when they were delivered?

Uber Eats is a delivery partner, there would be no incentive for them to "steal" fries as they don't make the food. What would the driver do with a load of cold, stale fries?

To be clear, I don't think the driver stole my food. The bag was sealed. I think I paid for goods I did not receive. 

The reason I use 'steal' is partially hyperbolic but it's because if they don't provide me a partial refund for the items I didn't get -  this is a breach in contract under the consumer rights act 2015. And in laymens they have stolen the money I gave them for goods that I did not receive. 

So what "clear evidence" did you provide that UberEats ignored?

In this case, nothing - they wouldn't even let me provide the image of the food without the fries. They just denied the refund with no opportunity to provide the (poor) evidence I do actually have. This has never happened before.

In the future, as I said in my original post, I'm going to be making sure I have as clear evidence as possible - because I'm a pedant and this really bothers me. I don't need to lie for 5 quids worth of chips, I'm annoyed that this instance is one of MANY instances where a mistake by a company is not being made right. My money was taken, I do not have the goods I paid for. It has happened with Amazon many year ago when I bought a CPU and it was an empty box and they wouldn't refund me. 

And I'm learning from this post that I'm in the serious minority. Allowing a company to take money and refuse to provide the goods paid for feels wrong, but seems like most people just thing we should just not be too bothered by it. Well, its not just me this is happening to, as people from this post have said, them too, and hundreds, probably thousands of others. Does it not feel wrong they should get away with not providing goods in return for payment? 

Ksw3

I've never had a complete order delivered from McDonalds, like you we've had to weigh up the drive vs actually getting what we want! 

plh56

I've had similar with Uber Eats and sympathise with the stand you're trying to make here, it's not about the small amount of money but the principle. I hope you keep going for the many others who just give up and let them win. It is very hard to prove practically as you say. When it happened to me I didn't have the time/energy to make such a stand (I had 2 young children at the time so was pretty exhausted!) so I let it go in the end and just never used them again. I've found Deliveroo are much better personally and have had refunds for errors so stick with them nowadays. I hope Uber Eats lose a lot of business to more honest alternatives until/unless they reform.