Why Customers Report Orders Missing on Instacart in 2024
As an Instacart shopper these days, few things create more stress than when a customer claims an entire order was never delivered. However, there are a range of reasons – some legitimate, some fraudulent – why missing order reports happen.
Innocent Explanations
Over 15% of customers say they‘ve had orders show up late or in hidden locations around their property, leading them to temporarily believe goods were missing.
With over 210 million deliveries by Instacart to date, occasional mix-ups are inevitable. Shoppers may drop off an order at the wrong house, especially when nearby addresses and apartment numbers are similar.
Fraudulent Explanations
Some customers take advantage of Instacart‘s generous refund policy. In 2022, nearly 9% of surveyed Instacart shoppers reported clear cases of customers lying about missing orders to get free groceries.
"Tip baiting" also motivates false claims – when a customer puts in a large tip to entice order acceptance, then withdraws it later and claims items weren‘t delivered. This scam has impacted 18% of shoppers.
| Missing Order Explanation | % Affected Shoppers |
|---|---|
| Late discovery around property | Over 15% |
| Delivery to wrong address | 8-12% |
| Outright fraud for free groceries | Around 9% |
| Tip baiting with fraud claim | Around 18% |
So don‘t assume malicious intent behind every missing order claim, but recognize that you need to guard against fraud too.
Step-by-Step: Handling Missing Orders
When an Instacart customer reports their full order never arrived, stay calm but take swift action:
1. Contact support immediately
- Open the Instacart shopper app and navigate to the Settings menu
- Select Get help to reach the built-in support options
- Choose either Chat with an agent or Call support to speak with a representative right away about the order dispute. Provide any delivery documentation you have.
2. Review delivery details
- Check the order within your delivery history to confirm the address where you left the purchase.
- Verify the tip amount the customer originally committed to. Screenshot this for potential tip baiting situations.
3. Submit evidence
- If you took a photo showing house numbers or landmarks, send it to the support agent as proof of delivery.
- Timestamps on these photos can validate when you visited the location.
By following these three steps, you‘ll have the best chance of overturning fraudulent missing order claims that hurt your record and rating unfairly. Support your fellow shoppers by calling out deceitful customer behavior when warranted too.
Stay vigilant against those who take advantage without assuming the worst of every person. When we have transparency and proof, honest shoppers can prevail over missing order scams in 2024.
