Delivery drivers using Uber Eats feature to steal meals

Uber Eats’ eight-minute delivery timer allows drivers with ill intent to steal orders at the customer’s expense.

Many users have complained that drivers frequently start the eight-minute timer before they arrive at a complex’s gate, while some have reported their driver setting the timer before they leave the restaurant.

MyBroadband asked Uber about the eight-minute timer and the procedure if it expires, but Uber didn’t answer our questions by publication.

Users have expressed frustration over the issue on social media.

“@UberEats your delivery drivers are becoming a huge scam, when ordering food they start the timer before you grant them access to your complex then they claim they were outside my house when in fact I’ve been waiting for them at my gate,” one user posted.

“I missed the UberEats 8-minute timer so now the driver gets to enjoy my meal,” another said.

This often goes against the instructions left for drivers on the app, with one user saying they believe some drivers are hopeful that the customer won’t respond and that they’ll get to keep the food.

“I hate when the Uber Eats driver texts me ‘I’m here’ and start that timer. The instructions clearly state what to do and I just feel like people be hoping I don’t respond in those 8 minutes so they can keep my food,” they said.

Some drivers try to exploit the feature entirely, setting it just after arriving at a restaurant to pick up an order.

One user said their delivery driver marked the order as complete when the timer ran out without leaving the restaurant.

“@UberEats I need you guys to deal with this thief who stole my food! I’m done donating money to UberEats! I have screenshots! He never left the restaurant. Started the 8 min timer there then marked order as complete,” they said.

Credit to Uber Eats support — when tagged in such a post, the company contacted the customer that same day to resolve the issue.

However, it appears as though some Uber Eats drivers are deliberately exploiting the feature.

According to Uber Eats’ support tips for the countdown timer, the timer should only start when the driver cannot locate the customer and has tried to contact them twice via the app or phone.

“If you can’t find the customer at their location, and you try to contact them twice through phone and chat, a countdown timer will start,” it says.

“Once the countdown timer is over, you don’t have to contact support anymore. By following this process, you will still receive payment for the order.”

The wording suggests that the Uber Eats app enforces the timer automatically, and some drivers may have noticed this.

It doesn’t specify what drivers should do with the order for general food deliveries when this happens.

However, it specifies that it must be returned to the merchant for Uber Direct orders and those containing alcohol.

Some Uber Eats drivers have also exploited another procedure designed for when they can’t locate a customer to deliver an order — submitting photo evidence.

In June 2024, Kwandokuhle Njoli posted security camera footage on X/Twitter that showed an Uber Eats driver stealing her order after pretending to deliver it.

The driver entered their residential estate, and after waiting around for a while, he put the order on a wall and took a photo before putting it back in his motorcycle’s storage and driving off.

The procedure of taking photo evidence for deliveries isn’t uncommon. However, in a situation like Njoli’s, it would be very difficult to prove that she never received the order without security camera footage.

Dozens of X users in South Africa left comments on her post complaining about similar experiences.

“The exact same thing happened to me two weeks ago. He drove into the estate, parked in some random location, and then waited for the minimum wait time, took a photo of my food, and then left with it,” one user said.