Restaurant owners are struggling to combat a growing trend of Uber Eats delivery partners stealing food they are supposed to take to hungry customers.
Across social media groups and forums, news.com.au has found a number of examples of hospitality business owners complaining about shady practices that have left them out of money.
The scam involves an Uber Eats driver or delivery rider accepting a food pickup, arriving at the restaurant, pretending to check in on the food, and then driving off.
Once out, the pickup is cancelled and another delivery provider is assigned to do the job, only to discover that there is nothing to collect.
“This way they get to take the food home,” one Melbourne restaurant worker wrote in a post on Reddit.
“We complained to Uber of course, we still need to do that.” [cop] Complaints from hungry customers and placing their own orders again.
“Imagine [this] “During a busy service period, we need to prioritize a stolen order because an Uber driver stole food. I’m tired of this.”
The worker added that this trend has become so common that it has become a burden on the business, as well as on honest Uber Eats drivers who are “just trying to do their best to make ends meet.”
It is not an isolated incident.
Late last year, a restaurant owner from western Sydney told SBS News he had problems with drivers twice a week on average.
“We have a lot of problems with them,” he said.
“Sometimes we get an order, like two or three bags of food. Sometimes they deliver one bag and take two. The customer calls us and says we only got one part of the order, and all the other bags are gone.
“Sometimes the order doesn’t reach the customers, so the customer calls and asks where the order is?”
The restaurant also faced the problem of drivers who pretended to sign for the order but instead stole the food.
He has complained “several times” to Uber about the problem.
News.com.au found a number of restaurant workers and managers sharing their experiences online, with one describing food theft as “rampant”.
Last month, the owner of a popular Sydney restaurant told news.com.au he would stop using Uber Eats after experiencing ongoing issues.
“The food is ready and the next thing you see is the driver decides not to pick it up, so he hands it to the next driver and the next driver takes 15 minutes,” he explained. “The food gets cold and you’re to blame.
“make something new” [order] On a busy Saturday night, Saturday night causes more problems and doesn’t really provide great service to the actual customers who come in.
It’s not just hotel business owners who have problems with delivery partners doing the wrong thing.
On Reddit, one customer shared his experience of being held down by the person who was supposed to deliver him dinner instead of eating it himself.
“The last time I ordered Uber to deliver food, the driver stopped 200 meters from my house and cancelled the order saying the food had spilled during delivery,” the comment read.
“He sat there for 20 minutes. I went over to the place and took out my phone and started recording him eating my food.”
Another wrote about a disturbing experience when he encountered a driver who was not responsible for delivering the order.
“The Uber driver I recently dealt with was leaving my house. I asked him what he was doing and he didn’t answer. I called Uber support and he showed up at my address in the wrong car, wrong gender and wearing a head covering/face mask to hide his identity.”
Several other people have shared their experiences of receiving orders marked as delivered but never receiving anything.
“I tried to contact the driver through the app but he blocked my number,” one person recalled.
Another said: “This happened to me. The driver rang the doorbell, took a photo as proof and then drove off with the food. Little did he know it was all caught on a security camera. I got Uber credit but when it’s late and you’ve had a long, hard day at work, you just want dinner.”
In a statement, an Uber Eats spokesperson said delivery partners are required to comply with guidelines to ensure food is delivered safely.
“We know how important these standards are, and if an issue arises, we work closely with the restaurant partner, delivery person and consumer to investigate the details and take appropriate action,” the company spokesperson said.
“We value our partnership with our restaurant partners and are constantly striving to improve their experiences.
Restaurant partners are not required to cover refunds when the issue with the order is not within the restaurant’s jurisdiction. Restaurant partners can always reach out to Uber Eats customer support via phone, email, or in-app for any issues or concerns.
Uber Eats delivery partners complete identity verifications upon sign-up and are also given periodic real-time background checks that must be passed before completing any jobs.
The company said it takes any allegations of fraud or theft seriously and investigates any reported incidents.
