When an Uber Eats order is short, report it from that order in the app as soon as you notice. First compare the receipt with the bags you received. Then name each missing item and quantity and ask for an itemized refund review. Uber says refund decisions depend on the circumstances of the order, and a partial shortage doesn't automatically qualify the entire order for a refund.

Report missing Uber Eats items from the order

  1. Match the receipt to what you ordered. Confirm that the item wasn't marked unavailable, substituted, or refunded separately.
  2. Check all the bags. A multi-bag order can be easy to miscount. Uber's U.S. merchant guidance recommends labels such as "1 of 2" and "2 of 2"; those labels can help show whether a whole bag is missing.
  3. Record what arrived. Photograph the bags, labels, receipt, seals, and all the food you received. Keep the packaging until Uber resolves the claim. If you had to discard the food for safety reasons, say that in your report.
  4. Open the order in the Uber Eats app. Go to Orders or Your Orders, select the order, choose Help or Get help, and select the closest option for a missing or incorrect item. The wording can vary by app version and location.
  5. Describe the shortage precisely. List the missing items and quantities. For example: "The order included two burgers, fries, and a salad. The salad and one order of fries were missing."
  6. Save the submission. Screenshot the confirmation, case number, messages, and any refund offer.

If no part of the order arrived, choose the option for an order that wasn't received rather than reporting several individual missing items. If a driver or restaurant confirms that a bag was left out, save the message. You don't need to decide whether the restaurant or driver was responsible before reporting the facts.

What deadline applies?

Uber's public materials don't set out one clearly stated, customer-facing U.S. deadline for every missing-item claim.

The U.S. Order Errors page is written for merchants. It says errors reported more than 96 hours after the order was placed may be ineligible for an adjustment. A separate Uber Help page about missing or incorrect orders, also under the merchant section, says cases should be submitted as soon as possible and within 30 days of the order date.

Those pages describe merchant adjustment workflows, not a universal 48-hour customer rule. The practical choice is to report the shortage the same day. If the app no longer offers the relevant option, contact support through the order history and provide the order number, delivery date, and the time you first reported the problem.

How much should you request?

Tie the request to what was missing:

The available U.S. materials don't provide a guaranteed formula for delivery fees, service fees, tips, or other charges when only one item is missing. Ask support to identify the missing-item amount and explain what any additional refund or credit covers. If Uber offers app credit but you prefer money returned to the original payment method, say so before accepting the offer.

Tell Uber if the restaurant sent a replacement or gave you a direct refund. Reporting that compensation helps avoid a duplicate payment and keeps the claim accurate.

Evidence that can help

Useful records include:

Uber's cited materials don't state that photos are required for every U.S. missing-item claim. Send them when you can, but report the problem even if you couldn't take pictures. Explain if the food was discarded for safety reasons or the packaging was unavailable.

Keep the description factual. Say what you ordered, what arrived, and what was absent. Unless you have direct evidence, don't accuse the restaurant or driver of theft; Uber can investigate responsibility internally.

If Uber denies the claim or offers too little

Stay in the original support case rather than opening several duplicate cases:

  1. Restate the missing items, quantities, and value.
  2. Attach the receipt, photos, and original claim confirmation.
  3. Ask for a manual review and an explanation of the decision.
  4. State that you want a refund to the original payment method, if that's your preference.
  5. Keep the case number and all responses.

You can use a message like this:

Order number: [number]. The order included [items]. I received [items received], but [missing items] were not delivered. I have attached the receipt and photos. Please review the itemized charge and refund the missing items to the original payment method.

The [email protected] address identified in Uber's order-error materials is for merchants disputing order adjustments, not ordinary customer refund claims. Use the logged-in app support route instead of phone numbers or social-media contacts copied from third-party sites.

When a credit-card dispute may be available

A card dispute is separate from Uber's refund process. If you paid with a U.S. credit card and Uber doesn't correct a charge for food you never received, you may be able to raise a billing error with the card issuer.

The Federal Trade Commission's billing-error guidance says a credit-card billing error generally must be disputed in writing within 60 days after the first statement containing the error was sent. Follow the issuer's instructions and send the notice to its billing-inquiries address, which may be different from the address used for payments.

Include:

Dispute only the value of the goods that weren't delivered. If part of the order arrived, don't describe the entire transaction as unauthorized or entirely unreceived.

The FTC says the issuer generally must acknowledge a written dispute within 30 days unless it resolves the issue sooner, and resolve it within two billing cycles, or no more than 90 days. You generally don't have to pay the disputed amount and related finance charges while the investigation is pending, but keep paying the rest of the bill on time.

These credit-card rules don't automatically apply to debit cards, prepaid cards, or payment apps. Contact those providers promptly and ask about their deadline and evidence requirements.

California and AB 578

Don't rely on claims that California AB 578 guarantees a full cash refund for every incomplete Uber Eats order.

The available California bill-tracking summary and industry report describe refunds tied to the portion of an order that wasn't delivered, adjustments to taxes, fees, or gratuities directly associated with undelivered items, automated customer-service systems, and access to a human agent when automation doesn't resolve the concern.

Those sources are summaries and reporting rather than the enacted statutory text, and they don't establish the result for every Uber Eats claim. California customers should report the shortage through Uber first, then check the current law or obtain qualified California-specific guidance if a legal question remains. This is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to report missing Uber Eats items?

Report the problem immediately. Uber materials reviewed for this article mention both a 96-hour cutoff for some U.S. merchant order-error adjustments and a 30-day submission period on another Help page. They don't support treating 48 hours as a universal customer deadline.

Can I get a full refund for a partially missing order?

Not automatically. Ask for an itemized refund for what wasn't delivered. If the entire order, or most of it, is missing, explain that clearly and ask Uber to review the full charge.

Are photos required?

The available materials don't establish a universal U.S. requirement that every missing-item claim include photos. Take clear pictures when possible, but report the shortage without them if necessary and explain why they aren't available.

Do I have to determine whether the restaurant or driver caused the problem?

No. Report what you ordered and received, and preserve relevant messages. Uber can assess responsibility between the restaurant and delivery partner.

Can I dispute the charge with my credit-card issuer?

If Uber doesn't resolve a genuine missing-food charge, a U.S. credit-card billing dispute may be available. Follow the issuer's process and watch the 60-day written-dispute period measured from the statement containing the error.