It’s a frequent complaint on TikTok—many users of food delivery apps like Uber Eats or DoorDash have been banned for seeking refunds on wrong orders.
One TikToker’s struggle with the app has played out publicly on the platform, where they shared that they were prevented from being compensated for orders prepared incorrectly that they cannot eat due to a medical condition.
In a series of videos, poster @demon.dog.duo shares how they have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), which according to the National Institutes of Health, “causes a person to have repeated severe allergy symptoms affecting several body systems.” Because of this, they take wrong Uber Eats orders extra seriously, as cross-contamination can have a dangerous effect on them.
The TikToker claims after several reported incorrect orders, they received an email from Uber Eats warning them that their account was flagged for too many refund requests. After calling Uber Eats and being assured that their account was not in danger of getting banned, the TikToker proceeded to order like usual—until a wrong Burger King order they reported made them ineligible to receive a refund.
The TikToker say they then repeatedly contacted Uber Eats customer service regarding the issue, finding no relief from the app’s decision to withhold refunds for orders that were incorrectly prepared with their allergens and fearing that they would be effectively banned from using the app.
@demon.dog.duo How I got båńńêd from Uber Eats ⛧ #Cardiacalertdog #servicedog #workingdog #wlgsd #germanshepherd #dogtraining #mcas #mastcellactivationsyndrome ♬ original sound – Lucifer the Service Dog
The TikTok videos documented the process of talking to multiple Uber Eats customer service representatives, several of whom simply told @demon.dog.duo that they are no longer qualified to receive refunds because they had submitted too many complaints. Eventually, the videos caught the attention of the Uber team on TikTok, and the official UberEats account replied to one of @demon.dog.duo’s videos.
“Hey Support Team here – so sorry this has been happening to you,” the comment from the company reads. “We adjusted your account on the backend so you shouldn’t have issues in the future.”
While @demon.dog.duo stated that they appreciated the gesture from Uber Eats, they shared that they hoped the company would create accommodations for those who have medical conditions that impact their diet.
“I’m really glad TikTok did its thing and you guys were able to see the video, and you guys were able to find out what’s going on, find my account somehow, and fix the issue, but I don’t want this to happen to people,” they say in her last video on the matter. “If I didn’t have a platform, this would just be another statistic. So I really hope that this situation can pave the way for some sort of accommodation structure in the future because, with the way this went, we have a lot of work to do.”
@demon.dog.duo Replying to @Uber ♬ original sound – Lucifer the Service Dog
The Daily Dot has reached out to @demon.dog.duo and Uber Eats directly via email regarding the videos.
Several viewers shared that they were having similar issues with the app, resulting in them being banned from the app for requesting too many refunds.
“Same!” one commenter wrote. “I’ve been told I will receive no more help until I order enough to make up for the amount they have refunded me.”
“They banned me from getting refunds for a while,” another user wrote. “I have a lot of dietary restrictions, and I should be getting what I pay for.”
“I was also banned from ue due to refunds,” a viewer shared. “I didn’t even get an email stating what happened, I just couldn’t order again.”
Update 1:51pm CT, May 5, 2023: Erykah said in a phone call with the Daily Dot that she was contacted by a corporate representative of Uber, who informed her that the company is working to add a feature to note when customers have allergies and prevent their accounts being flagged for repeat reports of incorrectly prepared food items.
She said she shared her experience originally because she had previously had issues being denied Uber rides due to her service animal—which is illegal—and wanted to show that the app was flagging her account for reports of incorrectly prepared items.
“I had shared it on TikTok just to keep my audience in the loop and to share an inside view of another struggle that we have to overcome as disabled people,” she said. “There’s all this new technology, there’s so much it’s available to a lot of people. But getting it out there as an available service doesn’t necessarily mean that it hits the market disability-friendly.”
For those who have service animals and need assistance advocating for them, she recommended the organization Advocates for Service Animal Partners, which has a hotline to provide advocacy services on behalf of service animal handlers.
