The vast majority of delivery claims are genuine: something forgotten in the kitchen, a spilled bag, a late courier. But a small share isn't. Some customers have figured out that reporting a "missing item" after every order often results in an automatic refund. For the restaurant, these abusive claims cost twice: the refund itself, and the time spent handling them.
The goal isn't to suspect everyone. It's to spot abnormal patterns so you can focus your efforts where they matter.
The signals that should alert you
An isolated claim proves nothing. Repetition is what speaks:
- The same customer regularly reports a problem, on different orders.
- Always the same reason: "missing item" on the most expensive item in the order, "never received" on orders delivered to the same address.
- Claims concentrated on a specific time slot or area, with no similar problem elsewhere.
- A reason that doesn't match your checks: bag checked and closed in front of a witness, "ready" status sent on time.
- A sudden rise in the claim rate with no change in your organisation.
Step 1: link every claim to its order
You can't spot a pattern if refunds are scattered across each platform's statements. Every claim must be linked to the original order, with its reason, amount and time.
That's what Pepprio does for Uber Eats and Deliveroo: every dispute comes in automatically within a minute, linked to the order and categorised by reason — missing item, delay, quality or customer fraud.
Step 2: measure, then set thresholds
Calculate your claim rate by reason (claims ÷ orders) over a given period, then set a threshold above which you investigate. Track it:
- by platform,
- by location and by brand,
- by time slot,
- by product.
A threshold being exceeded doesn't mean fraud: it means "take a closer look". With automatic alerts, you don't have to watch your dashboards constantly.
Step 3: secure the evidence when the order leaves
The best defence is simple evidence, taken at the right moment:
- a bag-closing checklist ticked for every order;
- a seal or closing sticker on the bag;
- a photo of the contents before closing for large orders;
- the time of the "ready" status recorded by your kitchen display and sent to the platform.
These elements help both to contest an unjustified refund and to fix your own mistakes when the claim is well-founded.
Step 4: contest, and report repeated abuse
When a claim seems unjustified, contest it quickly with the platform, with your time-stamped evidence. Procedures and deadlines are specific to each platform: check your partner terms.
If the same customer keeps filing dubious claims, report them to the platform, grouping the orders concerned. A structured file (dates, amounts, reasons, evidence) carries much more weight than case-by-case contests.
What not to do
- Refuse to prepare a customer's orders: platforms strictly regulate what a restaurant can do.
- Reply aggressively in reviews: stay factual, the reply is public.
- Contest everything: systematic contests lose credibility. Keep them for well-supported cases.
The right balance
An effective anti-fraud policy is almost invisible to honest customers. It rests on three pillars:
- See every claim, linked to its order, the same day.
- Spot patterns using thresholds and grouping by customer, reason and time slot.
- Prove with evidence taken when the order leaves.
For the contest procedure itself, read our guide Uber Eats and Deliveroo disputes and refunds.