Uber Eats launches new returns service
A popular delivery app is making it easy for customers to make a return.
In an email to Chain Store Age, an Uber Technologies Inc. spokesperson said the company's Uber Eats online delivery subsidiary is enabling customers to send back eligible retail items purchased on Uber Eats and receive an instant refund. Customers can request a return in the Uber Eats app and a courier will come pick it up for a fee. (They also still have the option to return items purchased via Uber Eats to the store directly, at no cost to them.)
"Returns are one of the biggest pain points in retail, and we’re reimagining them the way only Uber can," said Rohan Mathew, engineering lead, Uber Eats. "Now, with just a tap, you can send an item back and get a refund without ever leaving home. Whether you're debating the right paint color mid-project or second-guessing a new pair of wireless headphones, you can shop confidently on Uber Eats knowing returns are simple, fast, and convenient."
According to Uber, this marks the first time an on-demand delivery platform has provided in-app returns directly to stores where items were purchased.
At initial launch, returns with a courier in the Uber Eats app will be available for products costing at least $20 at thousands of retail locations on Uber Eats throughout the U.S. including, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Pet Food Express, Pacsun and Petco, with plans to add more retail partners.
How it works
- In their order history, customers can tap “Return an item,” select the desired product and explain the reason for returning it. As long as an item is eligible and fits the store’s return policy, customers can proceed with the return.
- Customers can tap “Return with a courier” to finish a return order.
- Refunds are processes are soon as a courier picks up an item.
- Customers will pay a return fee, calculated based on the courier’s time and distance.
This is not the company's first return feature. It has been providing a service called “Return a Package” through both its Uber rideshare and Uber Eats delivery apps since 2023 which enables consumers to have an Uber courier pick up their prepaid and sealed packages (up to five at a time) and drop them off at a local post office, UPS or FedEx location. Customers can track their package in real-time in the Uber app.
[READ MORE: Uber launches new package return service]
