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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To call out Uber Eats for breach of consumer rights act

50 replies

BoycottUberEats · 18/04/2023 07:08

I'm pretty sure Uber Eats are breaking the law and in breach of the consumer rights act. Has anyone else experienced something like this?

Ordered a takeaway the other day, the driver was noticably drunk (stumbled twice on our doorstep and then could barely enter the code in his phone when told it).

The food was also an hour late and stone cold.

Contacted customer support to complain and their response is that they will speak to the driver but refuse to give me a refund for the cold food because I have made too many refund requests.

For context, I've had 3 partial refunds in the past year for similar issues - cold food, missing orders, late deliveries (1 hour + late)

AIBU to say that this is not on? If I went to a restaurant and was made to wait an hour before being served cold food, I'd get a refund - even if I'd been the previous week and the same thing had happened - it would be in breach of consumer rights not to give a refund in such a situation.

Does anyone else think they are actually breaking the law here?

I don't know how these delivery companies get away with it.

OP posts:
Londongal123 · 18/04/2023 07:13

You are being unreasonable to keep using them despite the bad interactions in the past. Why do you keep going back? If everyone’s experience is shit and everyone stops using them then they will go out of business.

SouthCountryGirl · 18/04/2023 07:14

Why order from them?

AlexiaR · 18/04/2023 07:14

Not sure if that’s the case but why would you keep ordering through them if you repeatedly are getting bad service, with cold and missing food? And the food is always usually late because you see these drivers standing around in said take away restaurant, or similar, waiting for the other 5 orders or so, which they then have to spend ages driving around town, delivering to each address. No wonder the food is stone cold.

PortiasBiscuit · 18/04/2023 07:14

Never had a decent meal from any of these apps. Find a good restaurant that delivers, order straight from them.
Job done!

Anetra · 18/04/2023 07:16

Yabu to keep ordering and keep looking refunds

SoCunningYouCanStickATailOnItAndCallItAFox · 18/04/2023 07:17

The trouble is that whether there is a problem has to be taken on trust of the word of the customer... People take the p so they have a policy of refund limits... I don't think a court would dispute they have to do this. Sadly the reliably of your local service is so poor you've ended up on the wrong side of the policy.

I wouldn't be discussing whether they've breached your rights, I'd just realise it's a crap service with a flawed business model and cease using it.

AliceMay55 · 18/04/2023 07:18

Did you heat up the food and eat it?

Lockheart · 18/04/2023 07:18

If you have a pattern of ordering and then asking for refunds then yes, they're going to look askance at you and limit it. Food can't be returned and cold food can always be put in the microwave.

Stop using Ubereats if you don't like the service.

WordtoYoMumma · 18/04/2023 07:18

I would never use Uber eats again, I've had issues each time I've tried!

Pippa12 · 18/04/2023 07:19

I think your right, it’s unacceptable that they repeatedly serve cold food, very late.

I suppose delivery services have to protect themselves from repeated complainers who abuse the refund policy, and I imagine they’d think if it was so terrible why use them?

If I was you I’d delete the app and find a local takeaway that doesn’t charge astronomical service fees like just eat.

You could always ring trading standards for advice? I’ve spoken to them before and they were really helpful.

Richierich77 · 18/04/2023 07:19

Never use them again, order direct from restaurants that deliver

googledidnthelp · 18/04/2023 07:23

How many time haven't you asked for a refund? I tend to agree with the other posts suggesting you have a pattern and shouldn't keep ordering if you're so dissatisfied.

However if the order was expected by a certain time and you can prove it was an hour late, then that's a separate issue.

You could always just mention it to the take away too as they may not be aware of an issue with the driver if not their own.

BelindaMelinda · 18/04/2023 07:24

Shit, yes. Breaking the law? No.

They think you're a scammer and are protecting themselves.

You've had THREE refunds from them already. They are absolurely within their rights to refuse to keep issuing you refunds and to tell you that as their service is clearly not meeting your expectations, they suggest you try elsewhere. Which is what you should do.

maddening · 18/04/2023 07:24

Often restaurants that deliver via.uber deliver themselves, I would cut out the.middle man.

My Husband would love to order macdonalds but whenever he has been to the store.the number of orders sat there waiting for ubers is ridiculous and he wants his food hot.

CheeseMunchies · 18/04/2023 07:26

The problem isthere are so many dishonest people who make out there is something wrong with their food which makes it difficult when you have customers with real problems.There tends to be something wrong with most of my Uber Eats deliveries. Last time I had 3 drinks missing that and didn't even bother complaining because they won't refund me any more. Not going to use then again.

Gazelda · 18/04/2023 07:32

How many times have you ordered through Uber eats and not asked for a refund over the past year?

FlamingoQueen · 18/04/2023 07:48

Uber eats is not available where I live, but I am so fed up of going into well known cafes etc and having to wait twice as long because an Uber eat order has come in and they are prioritised over the people who can actually be bothered to get up and go out (although I fully appreciate Uber eats may help some people).

MsCunk · 18/04/2023 07:54

Why didn't you report the driver to the police?!

AgrathaChristie · 18/04/2023 07:57

You should have called the police about the drunk driver —- far more important than cold food.

PylaSheight · 18/04/2023 08:15

Slightly concerned that your focus is on cold food (sure, not ideal, but I bet could be reheated) rather than a drunk driver who is a danger to other road users 😬It seems Uber Eats isn't providing you with a good reliable service so perhaps stop using them. And you should've reported the driver to the police.

Original poster
BoycottUberEats · 18/04/2023 09:39

I'm not going to use them again, obviously, and I wanted to suggest other people also stop using them if you've had a similar experience.

I did report the driver as well to those concerned about that.

I've ordered 30 times and not reported an issue, 3 times I have reported an issue (because there was an issue), and received a partial refund of about 15% of the price paid, even if the entire order was cold/ spilled all over the bag/ had incorrect or missing items etc.

It's just an appalling company, they also treat their drivers badly, and I think people should stop using it and takeaways should go back to having their own delivery drivers.

Most takeaways where I am don't have their own drivers anymore and will tell you to order through Uber/ Deliveroo.

I also agree with people saying delivery drivers waiting in cafes/ being prioritised is annoying when you want to go in and have a sit down meal. I just think the whole business model is bad and doesn't work.

OP posts:
Original poster
BoycottUberEats · 18/04/2023 09:47

Shit, yes. Breaking the law? No.

They actually are breaking the law. The consumer rights act 2015 states that goods ought to be as described and services ought to be carried out with due skill and care.

If I receive cold food delivered an hour late by someone under the influence, that is very much in breach of the consumer rights act.

To not give a refund in such a situation is breaking the law.

However, consumers won't/ can't pursue this because taking it to court costs too much to be worth it. Hence, they get away with it, repeatedly. This is why people should boycott them.

OP posts:
drspouse · 18/04/2023 10:11

I use a local delivery app where the restaurant just uses it to take the orders and you get their own drivers. Don't use Uber Eats.

savoycabbage · 18/04/2023 17:14

It's just an appalling company, they also treat their drivers badly, and I think people should stop using it and takeaways should go back to having their own delivery drivers.

My nephew drives for them in the university holidays and he earns twice as much as I do as a supply teacher.

QuillBill · 18/04/2023 17:20

My family have a Chinese takeaway. We didn't want to use UberEats as we had our own drivers.

But people are lazier and lazier. They don't want to ring in their orders so we had our own app developed. But UberEats is always going to be easier. People's data is already in there.

In the end we were given a free three month trial with Uber and our profits went up by a THIRD.

It's baffling as not only do people have to pay for delivery but Uber also charge more for every single thing in the order. I genuinely don't understand why people use it all the time. Or how people can afford to use it all the time.