The Major Problem with Order Cancellations and Unassigns on UberEats

One of the common things with food delivery these days is orders needing to be canceled or unassigned because an order was already picked up by someone else. That said, UberEats has created a toxic system for gig workers to increase the odds of mass deactivation or getting free labor out of you.

I had two incidents recently that fully encapsulated this issue in the gig economy and on the UberEats Platform!

So in this article, We are talking about:

• The Major Problems with Order Cancellations and Unassigns on UberEats

• What they are saying vs How it ACTUALLY is

• Everything in between!

Disclaimer: The content of this article does not contain and is never intended to be legal, business, financial, tax, or health advice of any kind, This article is for entertainment purposes only. It is advised that you conduct your own research and consult with qualified professionals before applying anything you find online. 

I also want to be clear that everything we are going to go over is very market dependent, and what applies to me and my market may not apply to you.

DrivenWyld/YouTube

The Difference between Canceling and Unassigning

Before I go too deep into the two stories about canceling and unassigning, I do want to talk about the difference between the two.

Canceling an order on UberEats (from a drivers perspective) means that the order is reported to the platform and removed from the pool of orders because the order cannot be fulfilled, in most cases for reasons outside of the drivers control. 

Orders that are canceled are also due a cancellation fee, which they have been claiming they don’t do anymore but I have done this enough times to prove otherwise. 

Unassigning an order on UberEats means the order was removed from your account and re-enters the delivery pool, whether that was because they didn’t want to deal with support or because they didn’t want to complete the order for whatever reason. 

There are a multitude of reasons why someone would unassign, but that also means they are surrendering any compensation that comes with it. 

There is a HUGE difference and a lot of people get it wrong because Uber doesn’t explain that very well and would rather confuse you as a driver than make clear distinctions. If you go to “unassign” an order, they still label it canceling. 

My Unassign Story

So after I finished another order in the same area, I ended up getting a solid paying order for KFC, and while I wasn’t feeling 100% I decided to go for it. When I arrived at KFC, they told me that someone else had already picked it up… shocker. 

Now normally I would call UberEats, have the order canceled and get my cancellation fee, but honestly I wasn’t in the mood to deal with support. Honestly, I was just not in the mindset to deal with it at that moment. 

I made a video about that as well and someone made a comment about that being “emotional maturity” but in the end it was just negligence on my part. 

What happened was I ended up getting a notification later saying my order was reported and was marked as not picked up. Which is odd, because I have had other orders like this before and never had anything like that pop up and suddenly I got it a few times? 

Budsoda also made the clarification in one of our Gone Wyld episodes that this was a result of someone complaining about not getting their order and the backlash came down on everyone who “didn’t pick it up” regardless of whether they were the problem or not.

If you want to stay on the cutting edge of what is happening in the gig economy today and be in the know of what most people are talking about, make sure to check out our new channel, Gone Wyld Live clips and podcast, where we take the livestreams we hold on Thursdays at 9pm EST and cut them down to more digestible clips and post them here!

Uber often claims it is a notification for “educational purposes”, but those of us who have been around the block know better to take that at face value.

My Cancellation Story

Not too long after that, I got an order from Sushi Sake which opened up near me. Once again, I arrived and “the order was picked up by someone else”. That was the second time that week and since this was fresh off the last incident I just had, I decided to call support. 

Uber really made it difficult to get past their AI chatbot for some reason, but I was able to get on the phone with a Support agent, which turned out to be very odd. The normal pathways through the chatbot I once had wouldn’t let me hop on the phone anymore.

The phone call itself was weird too. First of all, the way she was asking me to confirm that “I was asking her to cancel the order”, why would you need me to verbalize it so clearly unless you were planning on twisting my words or intentions? 

They already do this to a certain degree in the earnings activity page, have you ever noticed how they always claim “You Canceled” the order, even if it was outside your control and the support agent had the order canceled?

If it ever came down to evidence, they have it on record claiming “you canceled”, and most drivers never have that evidence saying otherwise.

Also it is interesting when I call them out on that, they also chicken out entirely? Like you know that you can’t back up your own question with a follow-up?

The fact that she wouldn’t pay me the cancellation fee right away is normal but when I asked for a supervisor and he was connected, he made the point right away that “the call was being recorded”, and I made the same point that I was recording the call.

Whenever I make a phone call to a platform that I actively conduct work with, I make sure my calls are recorded as well. He then said he had to disconnect the call because I said that… what you guys can record me and I cannot do the same?

He hung up the phone but he also did something sneaky as well. You see, when they disconnect the call you can normally go into the app and call again, but this was made unavailable to me. 

I found out later that because they “hung up the call” they didn’t end the chat in the system, which means that in the eyes of that “help section”, I was still on a call. Since they didn’t want me tying up their system with calls, they had to end the chat on their end before I could call through their app again. 

Usually what they would do is send me a message in chat saying “sorry that happened and due to our policy, we cannot pay you…” which is bulls*** but whatever.

That said, I was able to hop back on a call by calling the Uber Support number directly, which then opened up the chat for me to request a live call. 

I hopped on the phone again, the 3rd support agent gave me the silent treatment and did nothing… literally. 

The 4th support agent put me through to a supervisor and that supervisor gave me a “one time courtesy”... which I get a lot so don’t let their kind fool you. I also got a chat saying I got $10 as well.

Also the next morning I got an email about the “support chat ending” and “sorry for the inconvenience”, which no you aren’t or you wouldn’t have done that in the first place. You 100% knew what you were doing, and gaming the system won’t work on me.  

The Catch 22

The funny thing is that it took a significant amount of time, yes I got $10 but that isn’t always the case and they also can take longer so it isn’t always worth it. I understand it is the principle of not being paid what you are owed but that doesn’t make it worth delaying other orders.

So it is reasonable to a certain degree that people have found it to not be worth the fight, so they unassign entirely, which is not helpful but it is understandable. 

Now they are punishing people for not calling and making it harder for those who do the right thing to get paid. 

Obviously the ideal here for Uber is that a Driver would have the order canceled and take the point of support at face value, basically free labor for them… yeah, no.

This is exactly why I fight this so hard, because I am not wasting my time, gas and resources to not get paid and no one else should either. 

Best Practices for Protecting Yourself on UberEats

Now that we’ve gone through how UberEats handles cancellations and unassigns, let’s talk about what you can do to protect yourself. These steps aren’t about fighting the system — they’re about protecting yourself from how the system fights you.

Record timestamps and screenshots

Every time you arrive and the order’s already gone, take a quick photo of the restaurant sign and your app screen. It only takes a few seconds and gives you a verifiable timestamp if the issue ever escalates.

Call support directly (and record your calls)

Skip chat — it’s often AI-run and rarely resolves anything. Go straight to a live support agent. And when you do, make it clear that you’re recording the call for your own records. You’ll notice Uber says, “This call will be recorded for quality and training purposes.” That goes both ways. Be professional, but firm. The goal is to create your own accurate record of what was said, especially when their system tends to mislabel or twist your words later.

If the order must be removed, NEVER unassign it yourself

If you can’t complete an order for reasons outside your control — like the food being picked up by someone else or the restaurant being closed — do not unassign it yourself. Once you hit that button, Uber’s system treats it as a voluntary action, which wipes away your right to compensation and shifts the blame to you. The support team exists for this exact reason — let them handle the removal and document it officially.

Keep your own independent record

Uber’s system logs everything — but not accurately. They’ll often record that you canceled the order even when the support agent did it, or twist your call notes to place blame on the driver.

Keeping your own timeline isn’t about proving the order existed — it’s about protecting yourself from retaliation or misrepresentation later.

Make a simple note in your phone: date, restaurant, order ID, what support said, and whether you were paid. That small habit can become your lifeline if Uber flags your account or audits your performance history later.

Be careful with what you say and how you say it

It’s easy to get frustrated when support drags things out, but stay calm, direct, and precise. Uber’s system automatically flags tone notes faster than it fixes problems, and those agents are trained to lead conversations in ways that protect the company, not you.

A lot of people assume the support agents are just untrained or “don’t understand English well.” That’s a mistake. Their so-called “incompetence” is often strategic. It’s not that they’re bad at their job of supporting you — it’s that they’re really good at their job of supporting Uber.

They’ll sometimes use confusion, selective wording, or scripted confirmation lines to trap you into admitting fault — like saying “I understand this is how the system works” or confirming that you’re asking them to unassign the order. Those statements might sound harmless, but they’re recorded and can later be used to justify denying you payment or blaming you for a canceled order.

Stay polite but controlled. Don’t let them guide the conversation — guide it yourself. Keep your answers factual, make them confirm their actions, and never give verbal consent that shifts responsibility away from the company.

Why This Matters

Doing all this might sound like extra work, but it’s not about paranoia — it’s about preparation.

Uber already documents everything, but they document it in a way that protects them, not you. When you keep your own notes, screenshots, and recordings, you’re reclaiming control over the story they try to tell about you.

In the gig economy, your reputation is your career. Protect it like it’s part of your paycheck — because it is.

FAQ: Common Questions About UberEats Cancellations & Unassigns

Q: Does UberEats always pay a cancellation fee?

Yes — but you usually have to fight for it. When a driver calls support and has the order officially canceled, a fee should be paid if the issue was outside your control. The problem is, Uber doesn’t always honor that automatically. You’ll often have to call multiple times or escalate before they admit fault.

The good news? If you stay calm, document what happened, and push back with proof that you were at the restaurant, most drivers eventually get paid. Uber counts on people giving up — not being wrong.

Q: Can Uber legally refuse to pay me if I arrive at the restaurant but can’t pick up the order?

Technically, yes — but it’s a gray area. Since drivers are independent contractors, your rights come from Uber’s terms of service, not labor law. If they mark the cancellation as “driver-initiated,” they can legally withhold pay. But if the issue came from the restaurant or the app — like the order was already picked up or the store was closed — you’ve done your part and deserve to be paid.

When they call it a “one-time courtesy,” that’s not generosity — it’s damage control. It’s cheaper for Uber to give you $10 than risk a bigger dispute or bad publicity. The key is to document your arrival, stay professional, and ask for a review under the idea of “I fulfilled my part of the contract.”

Bottom line: Uber can deny pay on paper, but a calm, well-documented escalation usually forces them to do the right thing.

Q: What’s the difference between canceling and unassigning an order?

When support cancels an order, the system records it as an issue outside your control — for example, if the restaurant was closed or another driver picked it up. That should trigger a cancellation fee.

When you unassign the order yourself, Uber treats it as if you refused to complete it. No compensation, and sometimes an internal reliability hit. Always have support do the removal for you.

Q: Can too many unassigns or cancellations cause deactivation?

Unassigns, yes — but cancellations technically shouldn’t. If a support agent cancels an order properly, it shouldn’t affect your completion rate or reliability score. The issue is that they often don’t do it properly, and that’s not an accident.

Support doesn’t exist to protect the driver — they exist to protect the company. Every call they take is documented in a way that benefits Uber first and keeps their own performance metrics clean. So, when it comes to your record, they’ll mark whatever makes the platform look good, even if it puts the blame on you.

That’s why documenting everything yourself matters so much. Don’t assume they’ll get it right — assume they’ll do what’s best for them and Uber, and plan around that.

Q: Can support agents be trusted to document things accurately?

No — and that’s exactly why you need your own records. Support often “simplifies” calls by marking everything as “driver canceled” or by twisting the story to match company policy. Don’t take it personally; it’s not incompetence — it’s intentional compliance. Their job is to protect Uber, not you.

Q: Is recording calls legal?

In most places, yes — as long as at least one person on the call (you) consents to the recording. Always check your local laws to be sure, but here’s what most drivers don’t realize:

When Uber plays that message — “This call will be recorded for quality and training purposes” — your consent is already implied by staying on the line. The same rule applies to you. If you choose to record, your consent counts the same way theirs does.

It’s not about sneaking a recording — it’s about keeping accurate records. As long as you stay professional and transparent, you’re just protecting yourself the same way they protect themselves.

Q: Why do some drivers say calling support isn’t worth it?

Because Uber designs it that way. The process wastes time and energy to discourage drivers from demanding what they’re owed. But if you don’t call, you lose every time.

Quiet compliance doesn’t reward you — it protects them. The more drivers who stay silent, the easier it is for Uber to justify unfair policies and hide behind “system errors.” Standing your ground respectfully isn’t just self-defense — it’s the only way to make them acknowledge the problem instead of burying it.

Q: So what’s the best long-term solution?

Diversify. These companies run on driver turnover, not loyalty. Build your gig portfolio, learn multiple apps, and work toward something you own — whether that’s a delivery service provider, contracting business, or your own brand. The less dependent you are on UberEats, the more freedom you have to call out their nonsense and move on.

Final Thoughts

Look, the reality is that these apps are shady and they have no plans on being clean about how they operate either. As soon as you find one problem, you will either find another or they will create a new one. 

Because they would rather dig themselves deeper than do the right thing by their own people. You can say people will just leave, but will they? Gig work is still undeniably flexible and valuable for gig workers today and there are always new drivers somewhere.

As much as we would like to believe that they can learn, they are kind of learning in the other direction. You also can’t expect the wrong people to do the right thing, and that goes for corporations too.

This is exactly why I say “diversify your gig portfolio and develop an exit strategy” remember, the gig economy is an income bridge to what would be a long term goal, not simply the goal. 

The less dependent you are on these gig apps, the more money you will make and the easier it will be to get out of the rat race. One of the ways you can accomplish this is by building your own Delivery Service Provider. 

The Gig economy as a whole is always shifting and the smartest gig workers right now are making adjustments to expand their earning opportunities from being the gig worker, to being the Delivery Service Provider.  

So I partnered with experienced professionals to create a step by step guide to create a six figure earning business in as little as 90 days of focused hard work.

The course will guide you to:

• Creating Your Own Business Entity and Foundation

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You will also have access to high level professional guidance to help you build your business foundation and support as you grow your business to reach greater heights.

Join here and get started on transforming how businesses serve customers and how gig workers will get greater opportunities with you! We are excited to help you secure your financial future.

If you would like to add some other perspective to Unassigning and Canceling Orders on UberEats, feel free to email me: drivenwyld@gmail.com and who knows? Maybe your email or perspective and be featured in a post as well!