Cancelling an order can result in a bad experience for your customers and have a negative impact on your business.
There are a number of ways orders can be cancelled, for example if you realise you can no longer fulfil the order, you agree to cancel an order the customer made by mistake, or we’re unable to assign a rider.
You can read a full breakdown of the different ways orders can be cancelled in our cancellations policy.
Why is it important to avoid cancellations?
For customers: Cancelled orders leave customers disappointed and hungry, resulting in negative reviews on the platform. It can also hurt your business reputation and revenue. Customers are less likely to order from you again if they had a bad experience.
For riders: Cancellations negatively impact riders who may have travelled to your business. If this happens frequently, riders may choose not to accept orders from you in the future.
What happens if an order is cancelled?
Cancelled orders have an impact on all three sides of our marketplace - you may have already prepared the order, we may have already sent a rider, and the customer may have already laid the table.
We believe it’s only fair to ask those at fault to cover the costs of cancelled orders. When we’re at fault, we’ll cover the cost, and when you’re at fault, we’ll ask you to cover it.
You can find out more about who bears responsibility when orders are cancelled in our cancellations policy.
Tips to avoid cancelling orders:
Make sure you and your staff are ready to start preparing orders as soon as you open for the day. You’ll get an open reminder if you’re not using auto-open.
Tap ‘Order ready’ when the order is ready to be picked up, and use ‘Need more time’ to delay a rider.
If you’re dealing with exceptional circumstances, such as equipment breakdowns or staff shortages, use ‘Busy mode’ to help you manage order volume. This will give you more time to prepare the orders.
If you have an emergency and your business cannot operate as usual, consider temporarily marking yourself as closed until everything is back to normal.
Update your Deliveroo opening hours in Hub for any days or times you’re closed. If auto-open or auto-accept is on, this will prevent orders being received when your kitchen isn’t operating.
Your opening time should be when your team is ready to accept and immediately start preparing an order.
Your closing time should be when your team is able to accept ‘last orders’, allowing time for preparation and rider pick up.
Offer customers a substitute item rather than cancelling their order. You’ll find customers will accept these more often than not.
Keep stock levels updated and mark items as unavailable in Menu Manager to avoid having to cancel orders.
Factor in late orders before closing for the day. Riders should have at least 15 minutes after the ‘prep for’ time to collect orders, so orders placed at the end of the day should still be fulfilled.
If you haven’t already, we recommend installing Rider Check-in so you know exactly when riders arrive at your restaurant.
If you're a Marketplace+ partner, make sure your delivery areas are updated so you only receive orders from areas you can deliver to. You can change your delivery zone in the ‘areas and fee’ section on Hub.
How do I view my cancellations?
The charges will appear on your invoice and payment statement. Example below:
Can I dispute a cancellation charge?
We appreciate there may be circumstances which are outside your control and which have led you to cancel the order. If you believe this to be the case and you wish to challenge a cancellation charge, you can do so by contacting us through your Hub account by raising a ‘Invoices & Payments’ ticket and selecting ‘Questions about invoices’. Please ensure you reference the order number of the affected order/s. Please note, you will be able to dispute these charges up to 4 weeks after the invoice statement date. Any disputes after these 4 weeks will be instantly rejected.
For further information on how we handle queries and complaints, please see our Support Policy [Ireland here].
How is the cancellation fee calculated?
In the event you are responsible for a cancellation, Deliveroo will charge you a fee equal to the commission (and any other fees) which you were due to be charged for that order (plus VAT/GST where applicable), i.e. an amount equal to the total fee for that order calculated in accordance with your current contract with Deliveroo
This charge will compensate Deliveroo for the costs of the cancelled order which may include e.g. the costs of bringing the order to you, any rider fees incurred, the costs of managing the customer care process following the cancellation, and additional marketing and promotional activities required to encourage the customer to order again in the future.
What do I do if a customer calls and asks to cancel an order?
If the customer has made an error, or has changed their mind, and you are happy to agree to the cancellation, you can let us know via the Restaurant live order support line. Alternatively, ask the customer to contact us through ‘Order Help’, by clicking on their order in the Deliveroo app, and we will call you if we need to agree to the cancellation.
Do other food delivery platforms also charge for cancellations?
Yes, others within the food delivery industry are known to charge or take other steps in cancellations such as putting those frequently cancelled orders ‘on pause’. All delivery aggregators operate in different ways, our primary focus is on providing the best possible experience for customers, partners such as yourselves, and our rider community.
What’s the difference between rejections and cancellations?
Rejection: when the order is declined at the initial stage, when it is first sent to the tablet or Point Of Sale (POS) system. Partners have 10 minutes to accept or reject the order, or the system will automatically reject it.
Cancellation: when the order is initially accepted, and then declined at a later stage (e.g. the dish is no longer available).
Learn more about our cancellations policy.