If you’ve ever ordered a cheeky takeaway through Uber Eats, you’ll know the feeling: you’re hungry, you’re tired, and cooking feels about as appealing as a trip to the dentist.

You scroll, you click, you pay—and then comes the shock. How did that burger and chips end up costing more than a three-course meal at the local RSL?


It’s no secret that Uber Eats and other delivery apps have a habit of stacking on the fees. There’s the delivery fee, the service fee, and the 'priority' fee if you want your food before next

Tuesday, and sometimes even a 'small order' fee if you’re not feeding a footy team. But what happens when your order doesn’t even make it to your door?

As one Sydney user recently discovered, the answer can be downright infuriating.


A Sydney local took to Reddit to vent after a particularly frustrating experience with Uber Eats.

After placing an $87 order for boxed items (not even hot food, mind you—just things that could easily be put back on the shelf), the order was shuffled between multiple delivery drivers, none of whom managed to pick it up.

Frustrated, the user decided to cancel the order, expecting at least a partial refund.


Instead, Uber Eats kept a whopping $77 as a 'cancellation fee,' leaving the customer with just $10 back in their pocket.

'Still can't quite compute their maths,' the user wrote, echoing the confusion many of us have felt when faced with the mysterious world of app-based fees.

The post quickly attracted attention, with many commenters sharing their own tales of woe.

Some swore off Uber Eats altogether, calling the service a 'rip off' and 'not worth the hassle.'

Others, however, suggested that persistence pays off—encouraging the original poster to contact Uber’s support team for a possible resolution.


'I haven’t used it for nearly 2 years. It’s a rip off,' one commenter said, while another added, 'Uber support has always been quick to fix things up for me.

Never had an issue that wasn't resolved tbh. Probably the worst outcome I've had is a partial refund instead of a full one.'

So, what’s the official word from Uber Eats? According to their cancellation policy, if you cancel your order more than two minutes after the restaurant accepts it, you can be charged up to the full value of your order.

If the delivery has already started, you might also be on the hook for the delivery fee. In other words: once you hit 'order,' your money is as good as spent unless you act fast.

An Uber spokesperson confirmed: 'Under Uber Eats’ cancellation policy, if an order is cancelled two minutes or more after being accepted by the merchant, customers may be charged up to the full value of the items ordered.

Where delivery has already commenced, the full cost of delivery services may also apply.'

You might be wondering why these fees are so high, especially when the food hasn’t even left the restaurant.

The answer lies in how Uber Eats structures its business. Restaurants prepare your order as soon as it’s accepted, and if you cancel after that point, they’re left with food they can’t sell.

The fees are meant to compensate the restaurant and the delivery driver for their time and effort.

But as this story shows, the system isn’t perfect—especially when the items are non-perishable or haven’t even been picked up.

For many Aussies, especially those of us in the over-60s club, the convenience of food delivery apps is hard to beat—especially if getting out and about isn’t as easy as it used to be.

But with rising costs and stories like this one, it’s worth weighing up whether the convenience is worth the potential pitfalls.
Have you ever been hit with a surprise fee on Uber Eats or another delivery app? Do you have any tips for getting a fair refund, or have you sworn off these services altogether? We’d love to hear your stories and advice—share your experiences in the comments below.

Read more: Behind the menu—Something’s off with this Sydney restaurant’s deliveries