Learn about how we track issues on ezCater orders and how you can submit disputes to have inaccurate issues removed
Our customers plan their events with the expectation that the order will arrive in full and ready to eat at the time they requested. Instances where we fail to meet these expectations are marked as fulfillment issues that can count against your operational metrics.
Why is this important? When your operational metrics are affected it can lower your search ranking and lead to you being bumped down in the search results, thereby affecting your visibility and potentially how many orders you receive.
Types of Fulfillment Issues
| Fulfillment Issue | Definition |
| Dietary requests not accommodated | The food received does not match the dietary restrictions clearly outlined in the menu descriptions, specifications, or selections. |
| Food bad or inedible | One or more of the ordered items are not up to the customer's standards. This includes issues such as the food being expired, too cold, overcooked, undercooked, spoiled, or otherwise inedible. |
| Food not individually packaged | The menu description or optional customer selection specified Individual Packaging for item(s) that were instead delivered in trays or buffet-style packaging. |
| Not labeled as requested | The customer gave specific labeling instructions in the Special Instructions field, but those instructions were not followed, and no member of your team provided advance communication that you would not be able to accommodate said instructions. |
| Not packaged as requested | The customer gave specific packaging instructions in the Special Instructions field, but those instructions were not followed, and no member of your team provided advance communication that you would not be able to accommodate said instructions. |
| Packaging bad or damaged | The food packaging arrived leaky, faulty, damaged, smashed, torn, etc. |
| Delivery instructions not followed | The driver did not follow the delivery or event instructions provided, leading to a problem with how the order was delivered or fulfilled. |
| Driver missing delivery equipment | Driver did not utilize proper equipment to deliver the order (hot bags, insulated bags, cart, etc) |
| Incorrect preparation | The preparation of one or more items does not match the menu description, specifications or selections |
| Order not setup | The customer reported that the delivery driver did not set up the order as expected or requested, and this lack of set up negatively impacted the customer experience. |
| Unprofessional driver | Issue with the driver’s lack of professionalism: behavior, attitude, appearance, etc. |
| Dropped off to wrong location | The order was dropped off at the wrong location from that which was specified on the delivery address details and delivery event instructions provided. This may include the wrong suite, office, building, or other. |
| Order did not arrive | The order was accepted, but the order never arrived at the correct delivery address listed on the order and there is no indication that it was dropped off elsewhere. |
| Wrong order delivered | The wrong order was delivered to the customer |
| Early or late delivery | An order was delivered earlier or later than the scheduled delivery window listed on the order. |
| Food didn't arrive | The order was accepted, but the order never arrived at the correct delivery address listed on the order and there is no indication that it was dropped off elsewhere. |
| Missing food-Including which items were missing | One or more food items listed on the order did not arrive with the delivery. |
| Missing Utensils | Utensils (such as forks, knives, spoons, or serving tools) that were expected for the order did not arrive with the delivery. |
| Food not ready for pickup ( for ezDispatch orders) | The order was not prepared and ready for pick up at the scheduled time. |
Viewing Reported Order Issues
You will have visibility into any order issues right in your ezManage account under the Completed Orders tab.
Completed Orders Tab
Navigate to your Completed orders section to view all orders that have already been fulfilled. In the list of orders shown on this page there is a column labeled "Issues" which will show you the number of any order issues flagged on the order (see below). Click on the order to open and view any of the reported issues.
If something looks wrong, you'll be able to submit a dispute from within the order details page by clicking the "Dispute an issue" button.
Operational Metrics
First, if there are issues from the past 90 days that are affecting your metrics including Order Accuracy, Food Ready for ezDispatch and On-Time Delivery - navigate to the Operational Metrics tab and click on one of the metric cards. You will then see a drill-down of any orders that are affecting that particular metric (screenshot below). Click into the order to see more details on the Order Details page.
Order Details Page
After opening an order to view the Order Details, there will be a red-outlined box on the right hand side showing a breakdown of any reported fulfillment issues and a button to dispute the issue if something looks wrong:
Dispute Process
If you have an order that is inaccurately counting against your metrics, you can dispute an issue to have it removed by clicking into the order, and clicking the green button that reads "Dispute an issue" and filling out all the details within the form and adding any photos that support your dispute. Watch our video below to see how to submit a dispute.
We will follow up with you to let you know the results of our investigation. The Operations team will review the submitted dispute, usually within 3–5 business days. You’ll receive a follow-up email which will outline the final decision—whether the compensation is removed, edited, or left unchanged.
Avoiding Fulfillment Issues and Reducing Disputes
We highly recommend reading through our Operational Best Practices in order to provide accurate/on-time orders to our customers and to avoid having any issues on orders that may affect your metrics and visibility in the Marketplace.
To avoid disputes related to order readiness on ezDispatch orders, be sure to utilize our Ready for Pickup tool so you have timestamped proof that your order was ready for the driver on-time.
For any questions regarding order issues/disputes please reach out to our Catering Partner Operations Team via catereroperations@ezcater.com.