A Business Owner’s Frustration with Uber Eats Drivers
A local business owner has voiced strong concerns about the behavior of some delivery drivers on the Uber Eats platform, highlighting a troubling practice that could negatively impact small businesses. John Jenkins, who owns Gold Coast Kebabs, recently shared his experience with a delivery driver that left him deeply upset.
Jenkins described how a driver accepted an order but failed to arrive at the store for over 13 minutes. In a TikTok video, he showed the front of his shop and questioned the situation. “He claims he's been waiting for 13 minutes, but there's no driver here,” Jenkins said, clearly frustrated. He then asked, “So what's gonna happen now?”
According to Jenkins, he contacted the driver, who claimed to be on his way. However, the driver still took longer than expected to arrive. “Mate, you don't like it? Cancel the job. Give it to someone who's close by,” Jenkins suggested. But the driver couldn’t cancel, as per the system’s rules. “You cannot. This is not fair.”
Jenkins pointed out that this scenario creates a dilemma for business owners. If they rate the driver poorly, the driver might retaliate by leaving a negative review on the business’s Google page. “All of a sudden you want to give them a thumbs down, what do they do? They go on your Google review and they give you thumbs down,” Jenkins explained. He questioned the fairness of such a system, asking, “Is this fair? Is this justice?”
The kebab shop owner warned that this dynamic could lead to businesses avoiding giving honest feedback to poor-performing drivers out of fear of negative consequences. “Uber, you've got to fix this problem,” Jenkins urged. “This is causing businesses big problems. If you don't fix it, you will lose a lot of customers.”
Social Media Reactions and Broader Concerns
The issue has sparked outrage among social media users, who shared their own experiences with similar tactics used by some drivers. One user wrote, “I had one say they had picked it up, but the store rang me to say they hadn't.” Another recounted a situation where a driver canceled an order after the customer offered to pick up the food themselves. “I got a refund and the food. Some drivers are very dodgy.”
Another user noted that recent Uber orders have arrived cold, attributing it to drivers handling multiple orders simultaneously. “They are multi-lapping and have three or four orders at the same time,” they said.
Uber Eats’ rating system allows both customers and delivery partners to leave feedback on each other after a trip. However, small businesses have long raised concerns about the potential for "revenge" reviews that can damage a store’s reputation and revenue.
Cases of Theft and Dispute
In February, a retail worker claimed his lunch was stolen by a food delivery driver who pretended to leave the order at his address. Corey Davis, an employee of Billy Hyde Music in Marleston, Adelaide, had ordered an expensive meal from Betty’s Burgers for himself and his colleagues.
CCTV footage from outside the shop appeared to show the Uber Eats driver attempting to cover his tracks by taking photos of the delivery on the kerb before picking it up again and driving off. After submitting a complaint, the delivery service offered him a flat $25 refund.
While Uber has yet to provide a comment on these incidents, the growing number of complaints suggests a need for stronger oversight and improved mechanisms to protect both businesses and customers. As more stories emerge, the pressure on platforms like Uber Eats to address these issues is likely to increase.