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If you order delivery on DoorDash, it’s bound to happen: Missing items! Especially missing drinks.
What is supposed to happen when an item is missing? Does your Dasher return to the restaurant to fetch your item? Does DoorDash arrange another delivery?
As badly as you might want that missing food delivered to you, the reality is that DoorDash will only give you a refund for missing items.
DoorDash will not set up a rush delivery to send you missing items.
Read on to learn how to report missing f00d, learn what your Dasher can and can’t do to help, and learn how to avoid this situation in the first place.
Food missing from your DoorDash order? What to do
When you discover that your order is missing something, the best thing to do is to report the missing item to DoorDash via the app or DoorDash.com.
You will most likely receive a refund for the missing item, but DoorDash won’t send your missing item.
How to report a missing item in the DoorDash app
- Tap Orders in the bottom menu, then select the order
- Tap Help in the upper corner of the order page
- Tap Missing or incorrect items. Tap the items that were missing
- Add any relevant info in the Details section
- Finally, tap Submit
Does DoorDash give full or partial refunds for missing items?
After you report a missing item, you should hear back from DoorDash quickly, within a few hours.
The most likely outcome is that you will be refunded for the missing item.
DoorDash will not typically offer a full refund unless there were other major issues with the order.
DoorDash will not send another Dasher to pick up your missing item.
If you still need the item, consider creating a new order. Need to add an item shortly after placing an order?
You can add an item if you contact DoorDash quickly enough. Here’s how to add or remove an item.
- Who pays for refunds on delivery apps? Restaurants, or the app?
- DoorDash denied your refund? Can you do a chargeback?
What if you receive someone else’s order?
Typically you will get a full refund when you get the wrong order. But if you have a history of frequent refund requests, DoorDash may not pay the full refund.
To report the wrong order, go to Orders > Tap the order > Tap Help in the upper corner > Tap “Received someone else’s order”
What not to do when your order is missing items
Don’t contact your Dasher after the delivery is complete. Once your Dasher has left the restaurant, they are no longer responsible for missing items.
Many upset customers ask Dashers to return to the restaurant, or call DoorDash, or contact the restaurant, but they aren’t obligated to do that.
At that point, the best thing to do is to contact DoorDash customer service and report the missing item.
Customers are concerned about food tampering, so many deliveries are now in stapled or sealed bags.
It’s almost always the restaurant’s fault when an item is missing, so blaming your Dasher or asking them to fix the problem is not productive.
Your Dasher will not return to the restaurant to pick up extras unless you catch them while they’re at the restaurant, or if they are feeling extra generous.
If you were late to ask for extras, don’t be surprised if your Dasher doesn’t pick them up.
Add requests for extras in the delivery notes, or contact your Dasher as soon as they arrive at the restaurant to pick up your order.
Contacting the restaurant about a missing item most likely won’t be helpful. Because the order was created through DoorDash, restaurants will always direct you to DoorDash about problems.
DoorDash will let the restaurant know there was an issue with the order, and DoorDash will issue you a refund for the missing item.
Don’t try to add an item after the order has been picked up. Once your Dasher has picked up your order and left the restaurant, it’s too late to add an item.
You can only add an item if the restaurant hasn’t processed the order yet. Read how to add an item to your order.
How to add or remove an item from your order
It’s possible to add or remove an item from your order if the restaurant hasn’t finished processing the order.
Here’s how to do add or remove an item in the DoorDash app.
- In the Orders tab, select your current order
- Tap Help
- An option called “Make adjustments to this order” may be available. Describe the adjustment you want to make
- If that option isn’t available, choose “Chat with support” to speak with a support agent. They may be able to add or remove the item for you
Only customer support can add or remove items from your order. Your Dasher can’t add or remove items!
How to prevent missing items
There’s not much you can do to make sure a restaurant won’t make a mistake, but your Dasher can bring any free extras you want.
Need napkins, straws, extra sauce, or other free side items? Add a note to your order.
You can also message your Dasher once they’re on the way to the restaurant. Just make sure not to ask your dasher to grab something that costs extra.
Stand up for yourself, but be a good customer too
If your DoorDash order is missing something, be proactive and report it to DoorDash as soon as possible.
Try to understand the limits of your Dasher’s responsibilities, and understand that DoorDash, not restaurants, handles issues and refunds.
Dashers can’t do much to help with missing items, so don’t take out your frustration on them.
More DoorDash Tips
John says
When trying not get results from doordash it was just fast talk and excuses. So there isn’t any accountability with the dashers or anyone else for that matter. Even tried to contact the driver just go voice mail and no response. So no more orders this way. Stolen is stolen. Even got a tip for stealing.
Brian says
I’ve been a Doordash driver for about 2 years now, and in that time I’ve run into my share of incidents regarding missing items, sometimes due to my own negligence in not paying close enough attention upon pickup, but mostly because the restaurant simply forgot to include the item when handing it off – which, for the most part is impossible to detect for the driver because we are not allowed to inspect the bags/containers in order to confirm that the order is complete. That said, if it was an error on my part I will absolutely do anything I can to fix it for the customer. I will return to the restaurant, off the clock to retrieve the missing item(s). If that isn’t possible, or feasible timewise, I have instead gone to local grocery/convenience stores to purchase the item(s) out of pocket. I don’t have an issue with the customer contacting me about missing items, but if it wasn’t something within my control, and if I’ve picked up another order and it isn’t possible to help them resolve the issue I do politely let them know that they will need to contact support, or request a refund via the app. Doordash customers pay substantial fees for the service, and as their only true point-of-contact I feel it’s only right to make an attempt to help them right the issue rather than simply blowing them off and essentially telling them that they’re simply out of luck; I.E. I just don’t care. It’s a symbiotic relationship. I want them to continue to place orders!
Jared says
I used door dash alot with alot of missing items at this loint they now tell me they will no longer refund missong items because i have exceeded the refund limit …this in its self is a crime they will get refunded thru the reatraunt and not refund the customer so best bet not to use them unless you have no other choice.. its not my fault the order was not complete bit eating the bill for it …i also contacted bbb they are not accredited by them so this is also another red flag…..
Joey says
Restersunts don’t make mistakes that often if you had complained that much it means you’re trying to get free food. I think it’s hilarious how angry you are because you got cut off from free food.
Milly says
Maybe but I use to order from Wendy’s on door dash and they always messed up my order. Every single time. I stopped ordering from them cause I didn’t want to deal with the refund process and the maximum refunds you can get. Cause I was starting to look suspicious.
Jai says
Had that problem with McDonalds. Stopped ordering from them. Miss that Big Mac though. Spend too much money on DoorDash to keep getting messed up orders.
LATOYA SMITH says
I have the same problem with Wendy’s in my town and now Doordash refuse to issue my refund to the mishaps not free food from previous comments. For most of time order is fair large for my household size. Considering the weather this day certainly not the Dasher fault for I as well been a Dasher Wendy’s tend to stay extremely Crowded and very busy and my order was late at night. For if I was at the store myself refund me so this no fair since I have evidence of contacting and speaking with help center as as my order arrived and realize there was not enough bags for the size my order. Doordash definitely need to better because certain restaurants are likely to mishap on a regular.
NorCalVicious says
It’s funny you see so much “anger” in his response, considering I really didn’t see any. And yes, “restaurants” DO indeed muff orders up that much. My daughter and I order from DoorDash quite often 2 to sometimes 4 times a week, and every single time there is “something” wrong with the order. It’s one of the only consistencies we can absolutely count on as a matter of fact. And no, we don’t have extravagant or difficult orders either. However something is always wrong or missing. So often actually that I’ve also stopped informing DoorDash of the issues, because at this point – what difference does it even make anymore? We continue to use the service even though, so it’s almost like why bother? Unless it’s a major issue, nowadays I just let it go because we’ve come to expect it sadly and sometimes that’s the price you pay for convenience. I’m glad not everyone has this same experience, but it is actually very common considering not everyone can be as perfect as you and never make mistakes while they look down their pointy noses judging other people for sharing an experience they had. Too bad DoorDash doesn’t deliver manners and morality, I would tip them extra to deliver you a double serving.
TINKB2011 says
You get a bigger refund if you report the issue through doordash chat instead of taking the automated offer.
LP says
Door Dash will redeliver missing food. I contacted Door Dash through steps mentioned in this article and there was an option to redeliver missing food.