Key Takeaways
- Customers can report missing orders; Instacart investigates each claim.
- Reasons include genuinely missing items or fraudulent claims for refunds.
- Shoppers can guide customers to find orders, use delivery photos as evidence.
- Repeated reports of missing items may lead to shopper account review or deactivation.
Can an Instacart Customer Report a Shopper for Missing Orders?
Instacart offers a feature for customers to report any issues with their orders, such as missing items, once the delivery has been confirmed in the app.
If a customer notices an item or the entire order missing, they have the option to contact Instacart through the app’s chat feature or by phone. However, it’s important to note that a report of a missing order doesn’t necessarily mean the shopper did something wrong.
Customers might report an order as missing for several reasons. These include genuinely missing items, the entire order not being found, or, in some cases, customers might falsely claim an order or items are missing to receive a refund.
If you’re an Instacart shopper and receive a notification about a missing order, there’s no need to worry immediately.
Sometimes, the issue could be as simple as the customer not being able to locate the order. If you’re contacted, be ready to provide details about the delivery location, especially if you took a photo of the order at the delivery spot.
Such photos, if uploaded to the app, can be particularly helpful for the Instacart support team to assess the situation.
Unfortunately, there are instances where customers might report missing items or orders to get a refund.
If you’ve taken a delivery photo and submitted it through the app, the support team can use this evidence to quickly address the claim’s accuracy.
However, as a shopper, there’s a limit to what you can do once the claim is made. The responsibility to investigate and decide on the appropriate action lies with the Instacart Care team.
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What Should You Do if a Customer Reports an Order Missing?
When an Instacart customer reports a missing order, it can be a concerning situation. However, there are important steps to take to help resolve the situation.
First, consider taking immediate action by contacting shopper support with precise details about where you left the delivery.
Whether it’s at the front, side, or back door, or near the garage, providing these specifics can help clarify any confusion. Sometimes, the customer might just have trouble locating their order.
If the order is still active or you’re handling multiple deliveries, there’s a chance the customer might reach out to you through the app’s chat feature. This gives you the opportunity to assist them directly by confirming the delivery’s location.
It’s common practice to take a photo of the order once it’s delivered to the customer’s address.
If a customer reports an order missing, you can inform shopper support that you have submitted a photo with the order or shared it in the chat with the customer.
This photo serves as proof of delivery and can be crucial in resolving any disputes.
However, there are instances where a customer might falsely claim their order is missing to receive a refund.
If you’ve followed the correct procedures, including taking a photo of the delivered items, there’s limited action you can take beyond this point.
In these cases, reaching out to shopper support for advice is your best course of action, or you might choose to wait for the situation to be resolved by the Instacart team.
Do Instacart Shoppers Get Penalized for Missing Items?
Instacart evaluates shopper performance based on ratings, cancellation rates, and adherence to company policies. A single report of missing items is unlikely to result in penalties, but repeated reports can lead to account deactivation.
Shoppers are not financially responsible for items that customers report as missing. However, these reports can affect your account standing. Frequent reports of missing items or orders may lead to account deactivation.
In cases where customers frequently report missing deliveries, Instacart may review your account.
The outcome could range from a warning to deactivation, depending on the circumstances. A one-time report of a missing item or order generally does not lead to deactivation.
Instacart conducts investigations into such claims to ascertain their validity, taking into consideration the details provided by the shopper, particularly regarding the delivery’s location.
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Can You Report a Customer on Instacart?
Instacart provides a way for shoppers to report and rate their experiences with customers after completing deliveries.
If you encounter a rude or difficult customer, you can rate the experience poorly, report the issue, and even choose to block the customer to avoid receiving future orders from them.
Reporting a customer can also be done directly by reaching out to Instacart shopper support. If you experience a problem while shopping or delivering, you have a couple of options to report a customer:
Rating After Delivery
Instacart’s feedback system allows for mutual reporting between customers and shoppers. To report a customer after delivery:
- Swipe the “Complete delivery” bar after finishing the delivery.
- Rate the experience (choose 1-star to report).
- Select the problematic order and customer.
- Provide written feedback about the issue.
- You’ll be prompted to block the customer to avoid future orders from them; continue to submit your report.
Contacting Shopper Support
If you didn’t report the customer immediately after delivery, you can still contact shopper support:
- Open the shopper app.
- Tap the question mark in the top right corner.
- Tap the headset icon to access the Virtual Care Assistant.
- Enter “report customer” in the chat.
- Follow the prompts or type a custom message for more specific issues.
- You may need to type “chat with an agent” to speak directly with support.
- Once connected to an agent, explain which customer you wish to report.
This process ensures that shoppers have a recourse for dealing with problematic interactions, safeguarding their experience on the platform.
Wrapping Up
If an Instacart customer reported an order missing, don’t panic.
If you’ve done your job properly, Instacat should see that when they launch their investigation. They may call you to confirm details of the order and where you left the delivery, so be as specific as possible.
The good thing is you can rate customers after you deliver every batch, so if you encounter a rude customer or have suspicions of false claims, report them to Instacart’s shopper support.
At the end of the day, an Instacart customer reporting an order missing doesn’t mean you’ll be deactivated. But if the reports become frequent, Instacart will likely place your account under probation or deactivate you at that point.
