Tips from others for delivering orders
Want to help your deliveries go as smoothly as possible? Here are suggestions from couriers and other details on the Uber Eats app.
Customers can see your suggested arrival time
The app shows customers an estimated order arrival time that’s calculated based on your estimated delivery route.
Customers often provide specific delivery instructions
Customers like to choose where to meet you. Some will ask that you deliver right to their door, while others may want to meet you outside. The app will show you their preference.
The app displays extra delivery information
You may see notes from the customer in the app, which could include helpful details like apartment numbers, gate codes and other instructions. If you can’t find the customer, feel free to contact them.
The restaurant staff can help you double-check orders
Other delivery people suggest that verifying orders at the restaurant, especially drinks and small bags, helps you from leaving anything behind accidentally.
A friendly greeting goes a long way
Customers often appreciate a warm greeting and a thank-you.
Cancellations when you cannot complete the delivery
- Our approach to cancellations
Some deliveries that are cancelled by the delivery partner will not be eligible for the full delivery fee. When you accept a delivery request from a restaurant, you agree to deliver food to their customers for them. The restaurant expects you to do your best to ensure that the delivery is then completed. Delivery partners who try to call the eater on arrival at the drop-off point, and wait at least 7 minutes before cancelling a trip, stand a better chance of successfully delivering food for their restaurant. If you don’t complete all stages of a delivery, you may not receive the full delivery fee from the restaurant. There are of course times when it's not possible to find the eater despite your best efforts, and this will not affect the delivery fee.
As a reminder, you are entirely free to reject a delivery request, as well as cancel a delivery that you have agreed to provide for a restaurant. However once you have collected the food, the restaurant expects you to take steps to complete that delivery.
- Recommended steps
To increase the chance of a successful delivery and of receiving the full delivery fee, we have set out the steps we recommend you take before cancelling an order.
When you arrive at the delivery address:
There may be various reasons why someone has not been able to immediately come out to collect the food. If you can’t find the eater at the delivery address, we recommend that you:
- Try calling them by tapping the phone icon in app
- If the customer doesn’t answer your call, a banner will appear in the app to indicate they didn’t answer. Tapping this banner will send a notification to the customer and a 7-minute timer will begin
- If the customer answers your call, you may meet the them. If not, you will have to wait at least 7 minutes before you can cancel the trip and receive the full delivery fee
- If your customer doesn’t contact you by the time the countdown runs out, you can follow the prompts to end the delivery, unless you would like to wait longer.
You will always receive 100% of the delivery fee if you arrive at the customer’s location and wait the recommended 7 minutes.
- I called the customer twice, waited 7 minutes and marked the order as cancelled. Will I receive the full fare?
Yes, if you called twice and waited 7 minutes, you will receive the full fare.
- I called the customer twice, waited 7 minutes, but forgot to tap 'Couldn't find the customer' so I did not see any timer. Will I receive the full fare?
Yes, as long as you call the customer two times and wait 7 minutes, it does not matter if the timer is activated, you will receive the full fare.
- I waited 5 minutes for the customer, then called and then waited another 5 minutes. Will I receive the full fare?
No, you have to wait 7 minutes after you call the customer. We suggest you call the customer two times when you arrive at the drop-off location by tapping on the phone icon in the app.
- I talked to the customer. They said they would be downstairs in 2 minutes. They weren't there after 5 minutes so I cancelled the trip. Will I receive the full fare?
No, you always have to wait 7 minutes after the call, before you can cancel the trip and get the full fare.
- I sent a text message to the customer and waited 10 minutes before I cancelled the trip. Will I receive the full fare?
No, it is essential to always call the customer twice by tapping the phone icon in-app.
Delivery fee adjustments
If you fail to complete these steps, you will not receive the full delivery fee from the restaurant, as you will not have fully attempted to complete the delivery. These scenarios outline which components of the delivery fee will be applied in different scenarios.
Questions from couriers
- What if I can’t find the customer?
If you’re unable to find the customer when delivering, you can try calling them. If they don’t answer, you can tap the banner that appears, to indicate that they didn’t answer. This will send them a notification and a timer will begin.
If they don’t contact you by the time the countdown runs out and you follow the prompts to end the delivery, you’ll still get paid and it won’t affect your trip completion rate.
A high number of unfulfilled deliveries before the timer runs out may indicate fraudulent activity and consequently you may lose access to your account.
- What if they call and request a change of address?
You can confirm or decline the request to deliver to a new location.
If you decide to deliver the order to the new address, you can contact Uber Eats support so we can adjust your trip fare.
If you don’t want to deliver to the new address, you can mark the order as unfulfilled.
- What if I can’t deliver an order?
If there’s a problem, like a flat tyre, and you can’t deliver an order, mark the trip as unfulfilled in your app.
Once you’ve done this, you can contact Uber Eats support through the app to report the incident to us. If you or someone else has been injured and you need emergency help, always call the authorities first.
Deliver your way in the app
Deliver your way in the app
The information provided on this web page is intended for informational purposes only and may not be applicable in your country, region or city. It is subject to change and may be updated without notice.
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