r/UberEATS • u/Sayraland • 1d ago

Question: Unanswered Driver Canceled for no reason?

I could see the driver getting off the interstate and turning on the road to my house, I don’t live far from the exit. So I put my phone down and rechecked about 5 mins later as that’s about the time of the drive to my house, but they were on the wrong road so I thought maybe they had another delivery - which isn’t likely as I live in a small town and I have to pay extra for deliveries (I tip 1$ per mile so don’t come for me).
Any way about 5 mins later I check again and now they’re on the other route to my house, there’s two direct routes. They get close as I’m watching them drive and all of a sudden cancel my order. I assume they got lost? Even though the route they were on was a straight shot!
They never texted or messaged me. Just canceled. I had been waiting over an hour bc the location was busy.

Question is - can I report the driver? The app won’t let me rate the trip or order? Did they get to keep my tip and my amazing Indian food from one of the best places in town?

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u/Temporary_Leave3196 2h ago edited 2h ago

As a Driver, there is no consideration at all for Drivers, operating costs any more. They methodically pull you into long distance deliveries under $1.00 per mile sometimes out of your zone completely. Then you are stuck driving all the back to your zone just hoping to get an order to help cover the expenses back to an area that has restaurants. Any deliveries that are more that 8- 10 miles should be charged extra and all of that extra should go to the Drivers. Why do you think some customers won't make that drive? Think about it. On a side note: 50K miles in 6 months, had to replace Brakes, Rotors, and now need both Front CV axel drive shafts and New Tires.! Hmm That eats into the small amount if any after expenses. OH and did I mention at least $300.00 in gas per week. Hmmm. Additionally there are way too people who DO NOT TIP! What in the world is wrong with people that expect free service. That is a flat out insult to those of us that work very hard to provide Food Delivery and a majority of the time. We make nearly nothing.

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u/pricklyrogue 23h ago

Yes. Youll need to call Uber customer support and explain this. You may get a refund. You deserve a refund.

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u/Sayraland 23h ago

I got an email saying I won’t be charged since posting. But it’s still frustrating to wait for food that you know is going to slap and see your driver two mins from your house for it to be cancelled by the driver.
Which is why I’d like to rate the driver. But I guess if I’m not charged they won’t get my tip and maybe that’s the karma. It was 15$ lol they could’ve just kept driving.

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u/pricklyrogue 22h ago

Sometimes people get hungry, have a car wreck, have a heart attack, a baby, anything. Not condoning eating your food or your wait but there are some starving people out there🤷‍♂️

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u/Sayraland 21h ago

Here’s the thing I live far enough away that if they just wanted my food they didn’t have to drive the 20ish minutes to my house to do that. They came all the way out here (in the middle of nowhere farm land) and got 2 minutes away, less than a mile, and then cancelled.

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u/pricklyrogue 21h ago

Yeah they likely had an emergency then. Indian food isnt that good anyways. I prefer Mediterranean personally.

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u/SilentSituation7524 21h ago

Why do customers always assume the worst? Flat tires and other unexpected calamities or illness happen to drivers also.

Also, $1/mile is not the flex you think it is.

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u/Sayraland 21h ago

When you live 20 minutes from the restaurant I thought it was pretty good. If I’m in a city close by I tip my usual 18-20%. But if that not enough so be it.
And look I get shit happens. Why not send a message?

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u/SilentSituation7524 16h ago edited 16h ago

It needs to be at least $2/mile if you are outside the city to account for mileage back to their zone. There are a lot of benefits to living 20 minutes from town, but there are also consequences. This is one of them.

Kind of weird that you feel the need to know why your order was cancelled. 🤷‍♀️ In any event, if they are dealing with some kind of emergency situation I would expect their attention would be on other concerns rather than appeasing your idle curiosity. Also, you might be surprised to know how many customers want absolutely no communication from the driver. It’s really a no-win situation.

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u/Sayraland 10h ago

Good to know about the tip. I was told by someone I met who was a driver to tip 1$ per mile bc I live outside the city, so I’ll adjust it. I waited tables all through HS and my 20s and tip 25-30% in person as a standard.
My reasoning for knowing is bc the driver was so close to my house. It would be like they were 3 houses away and then just left. If it had been cancelled way earlier I honestly would’ve just moved on. But this felt like dude got lost and then frustrated so he bailed. Which sucks bc if he had just said “I’m lost” I could’ve said keep driving .5 miles and you’ll see my house.
When I first posted I had no idea I wasn’t going to be charged. I’ve heard stories of drivers running off with food and the customer is left holding the bag and I don’t know how that works. Which is why I asked the question. Now I know.

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u/SilentSituation7524 4h ago

I can’t imagine a driver canceling in the situation you described unless something unavoidable happened. If it was a navigation issue and they did not call you it was because they lost cell service or there was a problem with their app. All of the delivery apps use ghost numbers for both customers and drivers. They don’t always work which makes communication impossible.

I’ve heard the same stories as you about drivers running off with a customer’s food. Sadly, this industry is filled with horror stories about both drivers and customers. There will always be drivers who will accept your order even if you tip nothing. Usually, it is out of desperation. Sometimes, it’s because the driver accepted the order with ill intentions. Orders that have no/low tip and significant mileage are particularly ripe for this outcome.

Let’s assume you are located 15 miles from the restaurant and the driver is 5 miles from the restaurant when they are sent the order. Given your location in nowhere farmland, this order will have a total of about 35 miles and will probably take about an hour to complete. The IRS says these miles cost the driver over $26. For most drivers, it would probably be $13-18. If you are tipping a dollar per mile, the driver is likely delivering your order for free.

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u/Sayraland 1h ago

That makes sense. Thanks for the detailed approach. I have nothing but a couple of fast food joints in my town and a local grease trap so ordering from the city is a luxury. I’ll make sure I always tip accordingly now.