Missing items from your DoorDash order? What to do…and what not to do

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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

• How Much Does DoorDash Cost? Explaining DoorDash Pricing
• How to Get Your DoorDash Order Faster
• How to Deal with Missing Drinks
• DoorDash Driver Requirements