Just Eat’s policy leaves bad taste
Windsor: Takeaway business suffering due to changes
A restaurant in Windsor says takeaway businesses are suffering due to changes to Just Eat’s refund policy.
Gourmet Grill, in Oxford Road East, told the Express that previously if customers asked for a refund, Just Eat would contact the venue to check if the claim was legitimate.
But restaurant director Zohaib Zafar said the online food ordering service now automatically charges his venue if a refund claim is made and he is then required to appeal if he thinks the refund is unfair.
He said this change in policy means the venue has to go through a ‘long and painful’ appeals process and the eatery is now exposed to more bogus refund claims.
“I make sure with my staff that everything is going out correctly because I can’t afford to make any mistakes as a small business,” Zohaib said.
“When I get these constant refund requests for cold food when we’re delivering in a one-mile radius. It’s practically impossible for the food to get cold.”
He added: “Before if a customer had asked for a refund, they (Just Eat) would give you an option whether to authorise or justify why it’s incorrect.
“Now they automatically issue the refund and it’s down to whether you as a business want to chase it up, you have to do that separately.
“They don’t give you a notification about the refunds so you have to go on the app and look through the invoices yourself and see how many refunds have been given.”
Zohaib said he felt the company was also being targeted by customers who make countless new Just Eat accounts and claim for refunds on each order.
He added that he feared for the older generation of restaurant owners who may be unaware of how many orders were being refunded on the Just Eat app.
A spokesperson for the company said: "Just Eat is only successful if our restaurant partners are successful and we have a track record of helping restaurants prosper.
“The recent measures we’ve put in place are in line with industry standards and are to ensure an even fairer refunds process for all, such as increasing the time for restaurants to raise any disputes.
"Restaurant partners are always refunded in full when we find any fraudulent activity taking place.
“We’re keen to maintain an open dialogue with the restaurants on our platform and continue to review our policies and processes in this space to support both customers and restaurants alike."