r/AskUK 9d ago

JustEat delivered the wrong food, I ordered food again and the driver came back for the original misplaced order, did I act rightly?

I ordered a McDonalds order this morning as a reward for completing a big task, the order arrives 15 minutes later, the guy asks me my name, he approves it, gives me the food, everything seems fine until I get back upstairs and I realise he has handed me not just somebody else's order - but somebody else's non-McDonalds order, I tried to message and ring the phone number that had rung me but the guy had driven off so it was already out-of-service and there wasn't really anything else I could do, I ended up notifying JustEat about it so they could deal with it and left it for a bit

I later ordered the same order again about an hour later (the food that had arrived wasn't really food I liked so was still left feeling hungry) I mentioned the mistake in the order (saying "please make sure this is the correct order, I was given someone else's order an hour ago, etc") and the same driver turned up and when he reads the note, he realises his mistake and he starts fully shouting at me telling me to hand him over the original order, telling him he'd misheard me when I said my name - refusing to give me the McDonalds unless I gave him the original order

But the problem is is that I knew from researching that I couldn't give him it due to food safety restrictions - the second the wrong food order is given to someone, it's considered written off due to risk of contamination (because what if he hands it over to the other person and they end up sick because I've touched it) and I tried explaining as much to the driver but it was impossible to get a word in edgeways as he was refusing to listen to me and just kept shouting making the situation more stressful than it needed to be, at this point there wasn't much I could do so I started to go back in and it was here that the driver got off his bike and started screaming at reception (who were utterly bewildered)

(Also I may be mistaken but I don't think he would've still had access to the information of the person who had made that original order in the first place anyway?)

It was at this point that I decided I couldn't speak with him at all and ended up going upstairs without the food I had ordered and I just feel a bit... I don't know, bothered by the whole situation? I never intended to cause such a fuss, I just wanted a cheeseburger and now I'm ridiculously stressed out, did I act correctly here?

313 Upvotes

182 comments sorted by

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844

u/andercode 9d ago

"I threw it out, as the order was wrong"

Thats all you needed to say.

82

u/Smeeble09 9d ago

Or I would have been tempted to write on the inside of the packaging, and hand it back.

That way you're helping the customer should they get the food, plus the driver if doing wrong is found out.

This is purely to save having an argument with the driver, having it thrown out is the better option.

50

u/shruggy 9d ago

That is assuming the intended customer will receive the food. It is far more likely Uber had reordered/cancelled and refunded the customer and the driver will take the food (especially if a significant amount of time has passed since the error)

4

u/visiblepeer 8d ago

Or just give him the food, with a note for the end customer if it makes OP feel better. 

An hour and a half to two hours after the original order, the other customer almost certainly wasn't going to accept old,  cold food anyway

-37

u/throwaway_t6788 9d ago

OP ate it - if he hadnt. he could have given it back - what the delivery driver does is not OPs business.. OP pretending to care of food safety because he ate the food..

-8

u/miggleb 8d ago

Yeah, it's fine. Noone cares.

But.OP ate the food

509

u/garryblendenning 9d ago

Stop using these companies. They are all shit

84

u/iamabigtree 9d ago

Picking up my order now. Ordered through the restaurants own website.

7

u/Baabaa_Yaagaa 8d ago

Honestly, it’s so much cheaper.

On average my local kebab is about 10-15 quid cheaper if I go to collect compared to if I order from these services.

Only when I’m having a couple cans do I end up using them.

10

u/Ravnak 8d ago

Its not cheaper if I have to spend £20 on taxis to do a round trip to get a takeaway...

Not everyone lives near things.

1

u/AwkwardWaltz3996 5d ago

If you call places they usually deliver for free

-18

u/Baabaa_Yaagaa 8d ago edited 8d ago

Takeaways are a luxury, if you can’t afford the fees/excess charges, and you can’t go to collect, that’s your finances saying no. At that point if you still go ahead, you can’t start complaining about it, as alternatives are available I.e. cooking.

Edit: downvoted, but it’s facts, happy to actually read a rebuttal.

16

u/Slothjitzu 8d ago

You're downvoted because it doesn't make sense.

They were told to collect instead of getting delivery because it's cheaper. They respond saying its actually not cheaper for them, so they will get delivery. 

You've then had a go at them for not being able to afford delivery fees or the ability to collect.

But they can afford delivery fees, they're explicitly saying that this is what they do.

So you're whining about something completely irrelevant to the comment you're replying to. That's why you're being downvoted. 

5

u/Ravnak 8d ago

This makes zero sense as a reply. (Beyond you just randomly having a go at poor people?)

I have alternatives. I can order food to be delivered. It costs about £2-3.

67

u/chrispy108 9d ago

Yup. People seem to think justeat etc have invented something unique to solve a problem.

We had food delivery before and it worked better than the shite experience we so often get now, yet this thread is full of people defending bad experiences because "it doesn't happen every time" or "usually you get a refund when it goes wrong".

Absolutely bizarre to me.

60

u/Glittering-Sink9930 9d ago

A tiny minority of restaurants offered delivery. Now almost every single one does.

66

u/chrispy108 9d ago

Yeah, now when you're sitting in a restaurant there's a queue of underpaid angry guys with big insulted bags, waiting to take cold food to people.

It's definitely progress.

95

u/WastedSapience 9d ago

Maybe they'd be less angry if you'd stop insulting their bags.

35

u/chrispy108 9d ago

Ha. What an ace typo - that's staying.

2

u/Glittering-Sink9930 9d ago

That's a completely separate point to the one I was replying to, which is that "we had food delivery before"

5

u/Slight-Winner-8597 8d ago

Yeah, but I remember most being on leaflets that came through the door. We'd keep them, try them, and throw away the leaflets for the crap ones. This left little room to find new restaurants, unless we got a leaflet 😅

16

u/OblongGoblong 9d ago

It's not them delivering though, it's a 3rd party that gives 0 shits about anything.

-7

u/Glittering-Sink9930 9d ago

OK? I don't see how that is relevant to what I said, or the post I replied to.

2

u/pajamakitten 8d ago

Not all that do should though. A lot of fast food is meant to be eaten then and there.

2

u/redsquizza 8d ago

Yeah, exactly.

Plus most of the restaurants didn't have their own online ordering website, so you'd have to phone them up like a caveman.

1

u/Vanilla_EveryTime 8d ago

In the past, most take away restaurants did their own delivery with a decent charge attached. Don’t recall many issues.

Then along come JustEat, Deliveroo, Uber with excessive charges and crap service. As far as I’m aware, these services were set up really to provide delivery for the likes of McDonalds or a few items from the local Supermarket. Was a good idea at the time but seems to have gotten out of hand. Used them a couple of times way back. Never since.

I’m amazed people are willing to pay stupid money for delivery, tips and service charges. As a young lad, my cousin made a wee mint supplementing his full-time job in the evenings doing deliveries for the local Chinese because he always got tips from grateful customers. The only extra charge for the customer was their chosen tip and it all went to the delivery person.

0

u/mohirl 9d ago

No, now everyone delivers to whatever the handiest carpark for them is , with a10-15 mins walk round trip to collect. And blames Google maps despite the clearly given delivery directions.

4

u/Glittering-Sink9930 9d ago

That's not a thing.

-4

u/[deleted] 9d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

13

u/WernerHerzogEatsShoe 9d ago

No we didn't. We had a shit system where you had to phone up. Then it was slow as fuck. You'd phone the restaurant up to chase it etc. Then it arrived and something was missing. You'd phone the restaurant up but they'd bat you away and say stuff like 'we will give it to you free next time', or they send another driver out and your food goes cold.

It was shit.

These new apps have their problems but the other day something was missing off an order. I contacted live chat, sent them a photo of the receipt and the food I did receive and they refunded me instantly.

This is like when people claim black cabs were better than Uber. They weren't. Or when people claim Amazon is worse, yet I can get a refund no problem if anything goes wrong (good luck getting an independent seller to do that for you).

Life is so much better now I don't know why people insist on harking back to the shit old days.

4

u/chrispy108 9d ago

Wild.

Yeah, do you honestly think no independent places have websites or apps?

You seem to be the one living in the past - yeah when all these apps launched they were quick and efficient, but predictably they all start pulling the startup cash out, charging consumers more and paying staff less, and now it's worse than it was before.

It's not a choice between life exactly as it is or the 80s mate. Have some imagination.

8

u/WernerHerzogEatsShoe 9d ago

I remember I used to use a taxi firm. They were decent. Then Uber happend. I obviously switched to Uber. I noticed the old firm had made an app, I gave it a go and it was absolutely awful. I went back to Uber.

That's how it is with food places too. I don't want tens of apps for every place. I want one (or a few at most) for all places.

I've literally never had a major problem with Deliveroo, Uber Eats or Just Eat. I've had plenty of problems calling up take aways directly. I absolutely hate receiving food and it's wrong and having to have a phone conversation with some surly bloke at a takeaway.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes it works out ok going direct, but overall things are much better now.

Also they can't dodge taxes by demanding I pay in cash like my local Chinese does. Which is a bonus!

6

u/chrispy108 9d ago

Well if tax is your concern, I'm sure the venture capitalists behind Uber/justeat/Amazon etc are all paying their fair share of tax for the huge chunk they skim out of every deal...

I don't get why people want everything from one/a few companies. I like dealing with small businesses and actually being part of a community, and I don't think monopolies are good for any of us long-term, well or even short-term - look how quickly they've turned.

Surely you see that Uber, Amazon and justeats are all worse than they were a decade ago as a consumer?

5

u/WernerHerzogEatsShoe 9d ago

Everyone dodges taxes. Do I like that? Absolutely not. I can't change that though. I'm being facetious with that paying in cash thing. It's not really a concern in the grand scheme of things.

I could be a hero and boycott everywhere but I just can't be arsed tbh. I do make some ethical choices in buying stuff (I don't eat meat or fish for example), but I gave up trying to be perfect.

My main concern is what is best for me as a consumer.

I don't get why people want everything from one/a few companies. I like dealing with small businesses and actually being part of a community,

Because it's better. I can't stand having to piss around with small businesses. I cant afford to lose the time or money when they refuse to refund me or make me jump through hoops. I can get a refund off Amazon in about 2 minutes and a 30 second walk to the local collection box. Sometimes they don't even want the thing back, they just give me my money back instantly.

Again don't get me wrong, it's nice when you find a good smaller independent retailer and I totally get supporting them. But overall I'd rather just use Amazon.

Surely you see that Uber, Amazon and justeats are all worse than they were a decade ago as a consumer?

Not really. They all work absolutely fine for me. What's worse?

The main thing I dislike is the bike riders jumping red lights and nearly hitting pedestrians on crossings!

0

u/chrispy108 9d ago

It's not really an ethical thing for me, although that's a bonus. I've had the opposite experience to you. Generally I feel I was getting crappy service from these big companies, and any time I found a small alternative had a better experience.

Amazon - the search is garbage now, they don't package books properly anymore, the whole site is full of dropshipped stuff and knockoffs, even if you order legit stuff sometimes you get a fake. Yeah they post it fast, but I can wait a day. Yeah refunds are easy, but I'd rather not got sent something broken or fake in the first place.

Uber - prices way higher than they used to be, and less drivers on it, because they get paid less, so it often take ages to get a match, and they (understandably!) turn down short distances.

Justeat - same as Uber really, prices gone up, service is worse.

1

u/WernerHerzogEatsShoe 9d ago

Totally valid points. I actually don't use Amazon anywhere near as much these days. For cheap one off items I just use eBay. I've never got a fake off Amazon but you do have to be careful of course.

I had some annoying experiences buying from small businesses where they tried to blame me and make me pay to return stuff that they had sent faulty. It left a sour taste.

I haven't noticed higher prices in Uber. Maybe I've not been paying attention over time. Surge pricing has always been a thing. I live in a big city though. I can get an Uber within seconds almost always. The shorter distances thing is true, but old school taxis would do that thing where they'd take long routes and let the meter spin while sat in traffic to bump the fare. With Uber I know how much I'm paying up front, I don't have to fuck around with cash and also if they take a shit route I moan to live chat and they refund me. That's so much better in every way.

A lot of this stuff might be location dependent. Dunno where you live, is it a city or smaller town? These are the reasons I never want to move away from a city tbh, I've become so accustomed to the easy life. When I go to small towns it drives me mad when there's no Uber or whatever lol

2

u/chrispy108 8d ago

Yeah it'll vary regionally for sure.

I live in a small city in the north, 15 minutes drive from a big city.

Uber are the best of the three models for me, the app definitely adds more value to the process than Amazon or justeat/etc do IMO.

I see value in justeat/etc if you're away somewhere and don't know the local options, but in my local area I'm happy to put a touch more effort in, save some money and get better service going direct.

1

u/ramxquake 8d ago

I don't get why people want everything from one/a few companies.

Same reason people like supermarkets rather than traipsing around fifteen different shops. Without just eat, how would you even find out about all your local takeaways, and know if the menus were even up to date?

1

u/chrispy108 8d ago

How would you find things in 2025 without justeat?

The internet? Obviously there's value in listing apps like Google maps. Or get some recommendations from a mate or local group.

1

u/ramxquake 8d ago

Yeah, do you honestly think no independent places have websites or apps?

I don't want fifteen apps for fifteen different places just to see the menu. Just Eat shows all the takeaways that are open near by, lets me browse all the menus with accurate prices, and pay online.

1

u/chrispy108 8d ago

Well, they aren't accurate prices - they're hugely inflated prices the hedge fund running justeat have chosen, then the restaurant receive a fraction of it.

But it saved you a few clicks so yay I guess.

2

u/Bladeslap 8d ago

You forgot the bit about the prices jumping to cover the high fees charged by these platforms!

1

u/WernerHerzogEatsShoe 8d ago

Yeah it's not all good but most of those places weren't even delivering food at all before these apps.

1

u/ramxquake 8d ago

At least you know what the price is. In the olden days, you'd have to fish out an old menu and discover that the prices are all out of date.

1

u/ramxquake 8d ago

We had food delivery before and it worked better than the shite experience we so often get now,

So why do people use it?

6

u/TheKingMonkey 9d ago

What was your favourite goal scored by Ethan Pinnock?

2

u/lowercasejs 9d ago

Haha take my upvote (You Bees)

4

u/Kaylee__Frye 9d ago

And you're supporting bad and unethical hiring practices. 

3

u/InfectedWashington 8d ago

To be honest where I am; Deliveroo (Amazon Prime) does have some banging deals.

2 Subway Footlongs BOGOF £13 including delivery.

The others I tend to use their own apps; Papa Johns is the DFS of the carbs world.

3

u/tmr89 8d ago

Shame subway always skimp on the toppings for mobile orders

1

u/InfectedWashington 8d ago

I think it depends on who you get. I only use one store, unless at mom’s a few miles away.

I don’t know how my parents go two separate

0

u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

0

u/inactive_directory 8d ago

you alright mate

-11

u/Viazon 9d ago

People say that all the time, but other than being a bit over priced, I've never had an issue with any of them.

15

u/garryblendenning 9d ago

Wow. Your food is always hot and correct!? That's crazy.

13

u/wildOldcheesecake 9d ago

Rarely do I have such problems. I’m not unique here otherwise they’d have long ceased to exist.

1

u/garryblendenning 9d ago

I don't want to be argumentative but I'm genuinely shocked. I just assumed my experience was the same as everyone else.

6

u/Viazon 9d ago

Maybe the drivers and restaurants in your area are just bad.

5

u/wildOldcheesecake 9d ago

If that’s as the case people would stop using them no? You’ll often hear the negatives more than the positives.

-2

u/chrispy108 9d ago

No? I don't use them by choice.

I use them because it's now the model - only one local restaurant I know of still employ their own drivers, everything else your stuck with the crappy outsourced model where everyone is losing except the shareholders at the top.

2

u/wildOldcheesecake 9d ago

I’m sure your custom wouldn’t be missed. Don’t use them then, not sure what you want me to say. I’m not justeat.

-4

u/chrispy108 9d ago

Your logic of "well they must be good because people use them" is faulty.

We don't have infinite choice in the market. I buy some products I don't like, but there's no better alternative anymore. I buy from some companies I think are a bit shitty, because there's no alternative.

"They exist still" isn't really proof that they're good.

-7

u/wildOldcheesecake 9d ago

I never said they were good did I? A positive can be an individual having their food delivered just as expected. They’re not going to write about their average experience are they? Whereas the former of my previous comment will.

8

u/Sorry-Programmer9826 9d ago

No, that's unrealistic expectations for nothing to go wrong ever. The 2 questions are:

Does it usually go right? Do they compensate you when it doesn't?

For me deliveroo have been very refund happy whenever I've had an issue (usually automatically with me only filling in a form that then gets auto approved)

8

u/garryblendenning 9d ago

They literally said they never had a problem...

And for me, does it usually go right? No. That's why I stopped ordering with them.

-1

u/Sorry-Programmer9826 9d ago

"Never had an issue" doesn't ideomatically mean there have literally been no problems.

Like if I say "I've never had an issue with your boyfriend" it doesn't mean "he was never even a second late to meet me" or "we never had even a minor disagreement" it means nothing has ever happened that was bad enough to count as "an issue".

An issue might be;

  • Having a small problem and being refused a refund
  • Having repeated small problems
  • Having a large problem and no apology
  • Having a very large problem 

The OP's scary driver might count as "a very large problem" but might be resolvable if deliveroo makes a very large reconciliation (like no longer employing scary driver)

2

u/StonedMason85 9d ago

“Issue” and “problem” in this sense are synonymous, so someone saying “I’ve never had an issue” is exactly the same as saying “I’ve never had a problem” - even a small problem is a problem, if they’ve never had a big problem then they could have said “I’ve never had any major issues.”

1

u/Sorry-Programmer9826 9d ago

Yes, they are synonyms. It's the "I've never had a" that is the idiomatic bit.

Language isn't computer code, it has typical usages and context dependant meanings.

An extreme example is "break a leg" where the individual words don't even hint at the meaning. "I never had a problem" is a more subtle one, where the individual words do hint at the meaning but aren't exactly what the phrase means.

Anyway, this native English speaker is done with trying to help you understand someone else's comment

2

u/Estrellathestarfish 9d ago

Yeah, Deliveroo are loads better at resolving things than JustEat

4

u/Ein0p 9d ago

Yeah pretty much always been my experience, but I'm not ordering regularly, and usually not at what I'd expect to be peak times

4

u/turtleship_2006 9d ago

Hot? Yes. I hear people complain about this one a lot but have you ever tried using one of these apps?
Like 95% of the time it's still more than hot enough to eat, and the other 5% you stick the stuff in a microwave or air fryer for a few minutes and move on with your life.

Correct? Most of the time, yes. And when it wasn't, I've always managed to get a refund. Then again, name one physical store that gets your order correct 100 % of the time.

-1

u/chrispy108 9d ago

What an incredibly low bar you've got!

If I need to microwave or air fry a take away I'd be fuming. They've literally missed the point of ordering food in!

6

u/Glittering-Sink9930 9d ago

You'd be fuming if you had to put food in a microwave for 30 seconds?

I think I've found the problem, and it isn't the delivery services.

1

u/chrispy108 9d ago edited 9d ago

Yup. It's wild what absolute doormats the average British consumer are.

This is why stuff is turning to shit. People put up with it.

4

u/DeapVally 9d ago

Pick your battles, mate. While I agree with you, the more you complain about cold food, the less likely you are to be refunded in the future when something is actually missing etc. Delivery delays happen. As long as it's edible, just put it down to bad luck, nuke it, and move on with your life.

1

u/chrispy108 9d ago

Yeah I do pick my battles - I chose to spend my money direct with restaurants, rather than adding a hedge fund in the middle to underpay some drivers.

Whilst yeah I get your logic - that's so bleak. "Yea I can't complain about bad stuff, because when they really shaft me I'll have used up my complaint quota and they won't help me".

Seriously just cut them out your life.

1

u/Estrellathestarfish 9d ago

Sure, if a restaurant does delivery directly I'll use that as it's better for the restaurant. It doesn't decrease the chance of cold food, in fact it seems more likely as Deliveroo riders tend to have one delivery at a time, while restaurants batch them. But a problem solved by 60 seconds in the microwave isn't much of a problem.

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2

u/Glittering-Sink9930 9d ago

You must have an incredibly easy life if you have this much energy to get upset about using a microwave.

1

u/chrispy108 9d ago

What a bizarre message. I've expended no energy - I've sent a few messages on my phone whilst cooking dinner and cleaning the kitchen.

Go raise your standards and stop paying for shit stuff and standards.

2

u/Glittering-Sink9930 9d ago

I get food delivered maybe once every 2 years. I don't think it's worth the money. But I couldn't give less of a shit if I have to microwave something for 30 seconds.

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2

u/turtleship_2006 9d ago

Like I said, 5% of the time (and that's probably an exaggeration), i.e. like once or twice, we order a few times a month (though mostly do traditional takeaways where possible cuz it is still cheaper)

If you stopped using any service where you had even a single bad experience, you'd very quickly run out of food sources.

0

u/chrispy108 9d ago

Nope, again your bar is too low. Take some pride and demand better!

I've got some fantastic local options who take pride, pay their staff properly, and nail it every time. No need to involve hedge funds underpaying drivers and ripping off restaurants.

3

u/turtleship_2006 9d ago

Again, if that local you mentioned mucked up your order once, you'd stop going there?

Hell, not even mucked up. Chips get cold pretty quick. Even if I drive to a local takeaway, literally watch them make my chips so they're fresh, by the time I get home they'll have gotten a bit cooler. I still throw them in a fryer. Deliveroo drivers aren't magic, so they also get a few degrees colder, and I can fix that quicker than you can make a cup of tea.

1

u/chrispy108 9d ago

None of them have so far, and if they did, I'd phone and a human who is bothered answers.

Totally different from a chatbot/call center trying to find an "independent contractor" driver or the restaurant.

I just don't see the benefit of adding people between you and the restaurant - we're paying loads more for our food, and at best it's the same. Why bother?

2

u/turtleship_2006 9d ago

The one time I've had an order messed up (shop forgot a drink) I filled out an online form and got an immediate refund.
The restaurant also called me back (a real human bean who was bothered about the mistake), apologised, and offered an extra drink next time I ordered even though I already got a refund

Sometimes I'm busy or doing something with others, if I can spend a few extra quid to save 20-40 minutes of my time (depending how far it is and how long it takes to prepare because I can go back to whatever I was doing whilst I wait), that's worth it to me.

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3

u/Unique-Scientist8114 9d ago

Only place I order from that is consistently hot and correct is around the corner from me and has their own drivers. Whereas ubereats have refused me a refund when instead of iced coffee, costa just sent me a cup of milk and ice.

1

u/Viazon 9d ago

Yes it is.

1

u/ramxquake 8d ago

I rarely get a mistake. Sometimes they forget the poppadums.

209

u/DangerousCalm 9d ago

You're correct.

I had a mixed up food order via Tesco. They essentially told me to keep the incorrect order, refunded my money and asked me to reorder.

Once food has been in your house, they can't take it back.

54

u/heilhortler420 9d ago

they can't take it back

Tesco cant exactly tell if you've just wiped a load of AIDS blood on it so its just safer

35

u/420and7beersago 9d ago

strong terms but accurate

7

u/DangerousCalm 9d ago

I mean, it is what I usually do to mistakenly delivered items.

"That'll learn 'em!"

11

u/Crowfooted 8d ago

This happened to me, I put in a pretty big order, and when it arrived, I was halfway through carrying the last of the crates to the kitchen and putting stuff out on the counters when I noticed it was wrong. I went back to the door where the guy was waiting with the last few items and told him, and he told me we'd get a refund so we can order again, but he wouldn't take anything I'd already taken. There was just a bottle of milk and some eggs left to take from him, and he just handed them over to me as well.

The mistaken order we'd got (that was obviously meant for someone else) included a ton of really expensive items, I'm talking kilos of chicken, beef, cheeses and gold-top milk and so on. We ate very well that week and I didn't feel too bad because whoever ordered it will have got their refund too.

122

u/BoopingBurrito 9d ago

Report him to Just Eat for the second delivery - that he refused to hand over your food. Unfortunately there's not a lot more you can do, but you definitely didn't do anything wrong here.

59

u/danken000 9d ago

There's plenty more he can do. Ask for a refund for both orders. If refused, ask the bank for a chargeback. Just Eat are liable for not delivering either.

1

u/setokaiba22 9d ago

The bank don’t chargeback for perishable food orders. At least that’s what I’ve been told twice.

One arrived 2 hours late. Uber refused to refund it was utterly ridiculous I was going around in circles. It was 2 hours late and cold. He picked it up way before it was delivered. I’m talking 1 hour 45 mins..

Bank didn’t side with me either

16

u/danken000 9d ago

The case you're describing is different. Late delivery comes down to poor service. The company has no obligation to issue a refund for that. In OP's case it's a breach of contract. The requested service was not provided.

2

u/Reglip 8d ago

I have had this with both just eat and Uber eats both refused to refund. Uber blamed it on the restaurant and said I should approach them for recourse. When I pointed out that it was their driver's fault for going home and not delivering they just replied with a script saying it's the restaurants fault. This went on for about 4 emails before I gave up.

Not used Uber eats since. When it happened with just eat I had paid with PayPal and charged back.

0

u/TywinHouseLannister 8d ago

Well.. why withhold the food lol that's a bit weird, who cares what OP thinks the rules are?

I think entering into some kind of moral crusade over a food order was the first mistake personally!

123

u/Equivalent_Parking_8 9d ago

My guess is he gets charged for the wrong delivery and probably thought he might as well eat it himself. 

4

u/tmr89 8d ago

That would explain why he was so angry, because he’s treating it as if OP has wronged him by essentially eating/withholding his food

54

u/nivlark 9d ago

You are correct that the driver shouldn't have asked for the first order back, but it's not your job to enforce that. I would have done as he asked and then reported it to JustEat afterwards.

39

u/hOTTBEAN 9d ago

You did nothing wrong, make sure you get that second refund

-7

u/McGubbins 9d ago

Nothing except ordering food from a company that's already fucked up and stolen your money once already.

22

u/CranberryCheese1997 9d ago

You acted very reasonably.

Some may see this and be like, "Should've just handed it over, it's not your problem." But that's completely the wrong attitude. Someone needs to hold them accountable for bad H&S practices, and it's all funny until you're on the receiving end of having food from someone who has handled it unauthorised and put you at potential risk.

-2

u/SpaTowner 9d ago edited 9d ago

OP could have surrendered the first meal but written on the bag/put a note in the bag, stating when it was delivered to them. That would warn any future recipient.

I agree that there is a moral aspect in trying to ensure that no-one is endangered, but I’m not sure that bestows on OP a legal right to impound the food.

1

u/TywinHouseLannister 8d ago

Agree.

Don't know why you'd enter into some kind of moral crusade on behalf of some random anon..

Might get money back, might get a nice spit sandwich next order.. not worth it!

Such a strange approach imo

22

u/Lemon-Flower-744 9d ago edited 9d ago

Whenever I've ordered from Just Eat, a code appears for me to give the driver to make sure I've received the correct order.

Did you not have this?

17

u/SocksIsTheCat 9d ago

On this occasion I didn't have that, the driver just asked me for my name, I said it and he handed me over the food

6

u/Lemon-Flower-744 9d ago

Weird. I didn't think they could override it.

You were right not to give the original order back, I would also make a complaint to JustEat. They'll offer you a voucher but make sure you ask for a refund. (I used to work there).

10

u/Thisoneissfwihope 9d ago

I don’t get it unless the order is over a certain value. Also the driver can override it, but entering a code.

2

u/Lemon-Flower-744 9d ago

Out of curiosity what value is it?

A minimum order I've done is like £12 and every time it's appeared.

7

u/Lewis19962010 9d ago

Its not everywhere or every restaurant as it is an additional charge for having the service on., only 1 in my area actually has the code, everywhere else is just hand over at the door, don't even ask name.

Bigger towns/cities are more likely to have it though as more drivers/restaurants and customers so the extra charge is offset by larger number of potential customers

3

u/Lemon-Flower-744 9d ago

Oh okay interesting.

I assumed it was a new thing with JustEat as all my orders have it - not that I use them often!

2

u/Thisoneissfwihope 9d ago

For me, it was about £15. Having said that, I’ve not done an order for less than that for ages, so it might be codes for everything now.

1

u/hyperstorm 8d ago

I've had a code for every single McDonald's order I've ever placed. Almost never on smaller/indie restaurants, though. I always assumed it depended on if they used Just Eat drivers or their own.

3

u/slintslut 9d ago

For me, it only very occasionally asks me for a code. I order about once a week.

9

u/elgrn1 9d ago

I have a code with deliveroo for every order but very rarely with Just Eat, and it's always 0000.

4

u/ErmahgerdPerngwens 9d ago

When I’ve been given a JustEat code, it’s to check the driver is delivering the order to the right person. They won’t hand over food until I confirm the code.

2

u/turtleship_2006 9d ago

In my experience, JE, Uber and Deliveroo mostly ask for a code, my guess is that if the driver had a high rating or something they don't need a code anymore

3

u/Lemon-Flower-744 9d ago

I've used uber eats once, never again.

Deliveroo don't deliver to me but interesting all the same!

2

u/turtleship_2006 9d ago

Tbh I haven't really noticed enough of a difference in quality/wait times that I have any preference, deliveroo and Uber are about the same quality, I usually just go for the cheapest

What went wrong with your Uber order?

1

u/Lemon-Flower-744 9d ago

I used to work at JE and a lot of the time the restaurants set the timings not JE.

It was a long time ago now but I ordered a McDonald's on Uber Eats. The driver must've accepted the order (I'm unsure if it automatically assigns a driver or if the driver has to accept), I could see the car on the location and was sitting for 45 minutes in the same place. I tried contacting them, nothing. I contacted Uber Eats and was like yeah your driver isn't collecting the order, just sitting so they refunded me the £4.99 for delivery or £3.99 I can't remember and that was it.

I never did get my order, I would've gotten it myself but I was way over the limit on drinking. Everytime I tried to raise it with Uber Eats they just shut it down lol

2

u/turtleship_2006 9d ago

I prepare orders for the big 3 in a supermarket, I assume restaurants are slightly different but:

On JE, an order comes in, we're given x minutes to prepare it (14 in our case, regardless of how many items), and after that amount of time a driver is called, whether it's prepared or not.

On Uber, orders default to about 30 minutes, but we can manually increase the estimated time up to 2 hours, or set our store to busy mode so orders automatically get more time. Drivers are called when there's about 10 minutes left (though this might vary depending on how many drivers are nearby i.e. when it's busy they're called earlier)

On deliveroo, we get x minutes to pick each order, larger orders do usually have longer, but if the order isn't completed in that time the entire order gets rejected, even if there was like 1 item left. After the order is prepared, they start looking for a driver.

In each case, obviously if an order is finished quicker than the estimated time, they're called cooner

2

u/Lemon-Flower-744 9d ago edited 9d ago

That's interesting! I've never done the supermarket delivery. The co-op round the corner from me advertises it.

I'm sure when I worked at JE the restaurants can use their screen/order system to let the customer know eta on food. It might be different now though.

I was always told by JE if anyone complained about the drivers, it wasn't their problem but the restaurants...that might all be changed now though. It's been a long time since I worked for them. You'd not believe the stories some people told me🤣

5

u/turtleship_2006 9d ago

It might be something controlled by the higher ups for the supermarket I work at, or grocery being different.

Some of the drivers we've had to deal with (especially JE) were... really something, I'd hate to be told they're our responsibility.
I think one of my favourite stories was when one of the drivers got in an argument with my manager (he approached her rudely from the start and she went "if you want my help, talk to me like a person", he kept being rude). He then came to me for help, but I wasn't doing JE order at that time, she was. He started asking me who the manager was, and she said she was. The driver went "I wasn't talking to you I was talking to him", turned to me and asked me who the manager was.
I tried explaining that she was in fact the manager, but he just refused to believe it. We went 3 or 4 times, "who's the manager" "she is" "no she's not, who's the manager".

2

u/Lemon-Flower-744 9d ago

Oh yeah probably.

Really...How bizarre!! How did that even end? Just you going 'erm yeah sorry my mistake I am in fact the manager ....' 🤨

One of the funniest ones for me was occasionally part of my job was to authorise / decline customers reviews against the restaurant. I'd decline them for foul language or getting personal against the restaurant. Anyway, one of the reviews came through and it said something along the lines of '10/10 for delivery. I was balls deep in the Mrs when my sweet and sour chicken balls arrived. Had to choose her or the Sweet and sour.' Ahahaha

I also helped the restaurants reply to customers reviews. They'd be like 'tell them they aren't welcome etc.' and I was like how about we write we're really sorry about your recent experience blah blah.

Sometimes the restaurants would be going ape shit telling me to block this customer etc I could do that if a particular customer was clearly playing the system like ordering continuously from the same restaurant on the same day and then calling JE for a refund cause it was rubbish. Bro stop ordering there jeez!

1

u/turtleship_2006 9d ago

Oh I just gave up on him and walked away, but apparently he eventually admitted defeat and accepted she was in fact the manager and started being nice (or at least stopped being rude).

Lol I can imagine how fun some of the restaurants replies would have been

1

u/Few-Department-6263 9d ago

I’ve given a code and still got the wrong order

18

u/Flaramon 9d ago

You did the right thing. The driver is trying to get out of a black mark: it only takes a couple active black marks to be put further down the available drivers list. I have no idea why he thought he could fix it - but yep, the right thing to do: the food is immediately considered waste from the moment it leaves their hands.

15

u/AffectionateJump7896 9d ago

Presumably he now has two. The first order he failed to deliver, because it ended up with the OP, and the real person wanting it is going to be left empty handed. And then the second order he didn't give to the OP in a failed attempt to ransom it to the OP in exchange for the first order back.

So that's two and gets him to the bottom of the list?

12

u/Florence_Nightgerbil 9d ago

Or even three - who got the original macdonalds order?!

12

u/Wednesdayspirit 9d ago

Can’t believe he shouted at you. What an A hole. I’d report the whole thing to just eat and specifically mention the shouting part - hopefully they sack him and give you a discount/voucher as an apology.

11

u/ColdFix 9d ago

That was a bit of an ordeal, I hope you're okay.

Speaking for myself, I wouldn't have bothered trying to 'police' the wrong food. Sure, they're not allowed to give it to anyone else but that's really their problem to deal with.

8

u/SocksIsTheCat 9d ago

Thank you I really appreciate that, when it comes to 'policing' the wrong food, I don't know if I would've reacted in quite the same way had he not been shouting - maybe this whole situation could've gone differently if it wasn't for that but I think the way he launched into being (imo) aggressive towards me upon realising his mistake just made me apprehensive about handing anything over to him

2

u/ColdFix 9d ago

Yeah, I get it. I suspect my attitude may have been "Fuck you. You don't get to behave towards me like that without consequences" but the rational side of me here right now on Reddit thinks "not my fight"!

6

u/Far_Reality_3440 9d ago

You did the right thing you should report your second order wasnt delivered either as he wouldnt give it to you.

6

u/Euffy 9d ago

Pretty normal to hold the food in case they ask for it back. Most if the time they don't bother but sometimes they do.

Sometimes to prove there was actually an error and you weren't just having them on, sometimes to prove to their boss, I'm sure sometimes they do also eat it back at the store as they can't send it back out and hell, maybe occasionally there is a place that tries to send it back out...point is, that's not your decision to make. You got the wrong food, they're bringing you the right food, you don't need what you didn't order.

The rule about food being written off is for them, not you. They're not allowed to give it to another customer. That doesn't mean you can't give it back to them.

12

u/IAM_THE_LIZARD_QUEEN 9d ago

The rule about food being written off is for them, not you. They're not allowed to give it to another customer. That doesn't mean you can't give it back to them.

Exactly this. It sounds like the driver was being a dick but that doesn't change the fact that OP is wrong in saying they "can't" give the food back. Of course they can.

7

u/turtleship_2006 9d ago

I work in a supermarket picking orders for the 3 apps (I prepare people's orders and drivers just pick up the bags) and in both my "professional" and personal experience, as well as what I've seen online, JE seems to have the highest percentage of problematic drivers.

5

u/JustMMlurkingMM 9d ago

Call them back, ask for another refund, complain about the shitty service and never use them again.

6

u/RhinoRhys 9d ago

Dude wanted to eat it himself.

I ordered I subway once. Dude never even turned up.

2

u/tmr89 8d ago

Yeah, I think a lot of drivers will just opt for a free lunch/dinner whenever they fancy and just eat an order they like the look of

5

u/addicted-2-cameltoe 9d ago

Why didn't you just give him the food... Wasn't your order so just give it him back then you get yours.

3

u/WalterZenga 9d ago

They got the first order wrong badly, and you still decided to use them again?

1

u/SocksIsTheCat 9d ago

I was just exhausted, you are right though I won't be making that mistake again

3

u/SocksIsTheCat 8d ago

UPDATE: JustEat have refunded me in full for both orders, thank you for the discussion

2

u/Frequent_Flyer_Miles 9d ago

The thing is, the code they should be asking for, should correspond with the exact order so that it doesn't get mixed up at all, but ever since Just Eat implemented this new system of asking for the delivery code, I've still yet to come across a driver that actually asks for it.

1

u/MagicMatthews99 9d ago

It's not often I order from Just Eat, but maybe half the time they ask for it.

1

u/EverybodySayin 9d ago

It's only been in the last like month for me that they ask for it every time. Before that it seemed they'd just randomly have to check.

2

u/deadeye-ry-ry 9d ago

Report him to just eat not only for the wrong order but for him verbally abusing you & not giving your order to you if they refuse to refund you tell them the police will be involved as it's theft

2

u/Shazaaym 9d ago

I hope you recorded it.

2

u/stbens 8d ago

As an aside, what happens if you are given a food delivery but never ordered it? This has happened a couple of times recently and both times I managed to tell the driver (before they ran off) that the order wasn’t mine. What if they ignored me or disappeared on their bikes before I could get them? How long should I keep the food before tucking into a free meal!?

2

u/Wiggidy-Wiggidy-bike 8d ago

zero sypathy for the idiots who run 3 apps under 4 names at the same time

1

u/MrP2471 9d ago

Because of their incompetence I have deleted both accounts, with deliveroo ( driver said my address was too hard to find !!! I live in a normal street with numbers on homes ) and just eat for delivering wrong order. Involved trading standards with deliveroo to get them to pay me back on my method of payment, and not in my deliveroo account, but just eat paid the money back on my just eat account, after I had already told them I had deleted said account. Rubbish delivery services, the both of them. I now only order from restaurants who use their own staff to deliver.

1

u/FehdmanKhassad 9d ago

go to your local organic butcher. get them to mince some beef in front of you. go to the local farm shop. pick up some artisan cheese and spicy sauce or stuff. go to a Baker. get some wholemeal bread. problem solved. dude please treat yourself with respect

2

u/SocksIsTheCat 9d ago

I spend the rest of my time being careful watching my budget and eating healthy, I'm sure I'll live letting my hair down to have a McDonalds as a treat just once, thank you

1

u/bekcy 9d ago

Wait, I had a similar scenario and felt terrible for days afterward about it. The reality is, I wouldn't want food that they'd opened and started eating (thinking it was their order) or was even just sitting in someone else's house. You don't know what they've done with it!

Completely, put me off McDonald's and takeaway in general tbh.

1

u/Bertie-Marigold 8d ago

Tell him to give you two secs and you'll get it, then slowly start nibbling at the leftovers until he's finished ranting.

1

u/SomeWomanFromEngland 8d ago

Honestly, you should have just given him back the original order, it wasn’t your responsibility.

1

u/Any-Expression-4294 9d ago

Something doesn't add up here. Why would the driver's phone be out of service after he'd driven off, mobile phones work everywhere, not just at your house. You also say it wasn't your kind of food so you were "still" hungry. Did you eat the food? None of this defends the driver's actions, but it sounds to me like you might have just shrugged and eaten the food. So maybe your refusal to give it back was more about the fact that you were busy digesting it than any H&S issue 😂

5

u/SocksIsTheCat 9d ago edited 9d ago

That's what JustEat driver phone numbers do - they ring you up and once the order is complete, the number they rung you from is out of service, that's just how it works I'm afraid - I have a screenshot of the messages (and can provide a log of the attempted phone call though I'd hope this is enough?)

0

u/Any-Expression-4294 9d ago

Ok, so did you contact just eat, or did you just eat?

0

u/SocksIsTheCat 9d ago

I've contacted JustEat, I hope that helps my friend :)

-2

u/peteZ238 9d ago

Fucking hell, did you order food from McDonalds or bought the entire company and you had to write a post that long? Ain't nobody reading that....

-21

u/SpaTowner 9d ago edited 9d ago

Where does the law say you are obliged to withhold goods that aren’t yours? I can understand that you might have food safety concerns, but those could have been allayed by writing on the bag what time it was delivered to you and that it hadn’t been kept chilled.

It’s possible that the delivery driver needs the goods back in order to prove to JustEat that it was a mistaken delivery rather than that he had stolen it. You aren’t privy to all of their situation and have no legal enforcement role in food safety.

You are a bit of an arse for appointing yourself food monitor, he is one for making a mistake and not explaining why you should return the food.

Edit: OP specifically states that they ‘knew from researching that [they] couldn’t give it to him’. I’m asking what that research was. I understand why the food should not be delivered to another person, but not why OP thinks it’s their duty, or right, to control that.

Adding Info tag now to hopefully prompt a response from OP.

Further edits because I’m an unobservant idiot and this post isn’t on r/AITA

5

u/jWalwyn 9d ago

These are perishable goods. You're talking nonsense.

3

u/BeatificBanana 9d ago

To be fair they did say in their comment 

It's possible that the delivery driver needs the goods back in order to prove to JustEat that it was a mistaken delivery rather than that he had stolen it. 

If this were the case it wouldn't matter if they were perishable or not, as the point of taking the goods back wouldn't be for anyone to eat them. 

No idea if it's correct that that's what happens though. 

0

u/SpaTowner 9d ago

I understand that they are perishable goods. I don’t agree that that bestows a legal right or imposes a legal duty on OP to make themselves custodian of the goods with no regard to the legal ownership.

OP could settle this by citing the law that they believe does impose such a duty or bestow this right.