Rejecting is not refunding#
This trips up almost everyone, so it comes first.
Rejecting an order stops it. The order is marked cancelled and the customer gets an email telling them so. It does not move any money. A card order that was already charged stays charged until you refund it.
Refunding sends money back to the customer.
If a customer paid and you cannot make their order, you usually need to do both: reject it, then refund it. Refunding the full amount also marks the order cancelled, so a full refund on its own is often enough once the order has been accepted.
Rejecting a new order#
Do this while the order can still be stopped, before you have cooked it. Reject is available on orders that are new or accepted.
- Open the order in the Dinevate Order Manager app.
- Tap REJECT.
- Confirm.
The customer receives an email that their order was cancelled. Then refund the order if it was paid by card (see below).
Rejecting needs the Reject incoming orders permission. Cancelling an order that is further along needs Void / cancel an order. See the Staff Logins and Permissions guide.
Refunding an order#
Refunds are done from the tablet (Order Manager app) or from Orders History in your dashboard. Both do the same thing.
From the tablet#
- Open the order.
- Tap REFUND.
- Enter the amount. It starts at the full remaining amount. Type a smaller number for a partial refund.
- Pick a reason: Requested by Customer, Duplicate Charge, Fraudulent, or Other (type your own).
- Confirm.
The screen shows whether you are about to send a Full Refund or a Partial Refund before you commit. The customer gets a refund email automatically.
From the dashboard#
- Log in to dinevate.com and open your Merchant Dashboard.
- Go to Ordering Settings → Orders History (recent orders also appear on your Dashboard).
- Find the order, open its actions menu, and choose to refund.
- Enter the amount and reason, then confirm.
What to expect#
- Card orders go back to the card the customer paid with. It takes a few business days to appear on their statement. That is their bank's timing, not something Dinevate can speed up.
- Cash orders have no charge to reverse. Dinevate records the refund so your reports and end-of-day are right; the cash itself is handed back at the counter.
- A full refund marks the order cancelled. A partial refund leaves it open, and you can refund again later up to what is left.
- You cannot refund more than the order total, and you cannot refund an order twice for the same money. The tablet shows FULLY REFUNDED or PARTIALLY REFUNDED with the amount already returned.
- Refunding is permission-gated. Servers and cashiers do not have it by default; only Managers and Admins do.
Editing an order can be a refund. Removing an item from an order that was already paid sends money back, so it needs the refund permission too. Dinevate will tell you when an edit settles as a refund.
Delivery problems#
How you handle a delivery problem depends on who is driving.
Your own drivers#
If your own staff deliver, everything is in your hands: call the driver, and refund or comp the order yourself as you see fit.
Dinevate Delivery (third-party drivers)#
When you request Dinevate Delivery, a courier from a partner network (DoorDash, Uber, Postmates) picks the order up. The delivery card on the order shows the live status, the driver, and the tracking link.
Driver is late or you cannot reach them. Tap the driver contact option on the delivery card. Dinevate shows the driver's number, the courier's support line, and what to quote:
- DoorDash: +1 (855) 222-8111. Mention it is a DoorDash Drive delivery, and quote the delivery ID shown on the card, your store name, and the customer's name and phone.
- Uber / Postmates: +1 (866) 987-3750. Mention it is an Uber Direct or Postmates order, and give your store name and the customer's name and phone.
Courier support can help locate or contact an existing driver. To request another driver through Dinevate, use Redispatch delivery on an eligible order. A support report alone does not book a replacement pickup.
No driver was assigned, or the driver dropped the job. Use Redispatch delivery on the original order to request another driver. Review the available provider, submit once, and check the result and tracking before trying again.
The order should not go out at all. Use Cancel delivery on the card. Cancel the delivery before you refund the customer, so a driver does not arrive at an address for an order that no longer exists.
Customer says it never arrived, arrived damaged, or arrived at the wrong address. Take care of the customer first with a refund or replacement, then report the delivery. The provider reviews the report and can credit the whole order, not only the delivery fee (see below).
Replacement food needs a driver#
If the wrong food was delivered or the delivery was incorrect and you have made a replacement, open the original order in Order Manager or Merchant Dashboard and choose Redispatch delivery. Eligible Completed / Fulfilled Dinevate Delivery orders support replacement dispatch too.
Confirm that the prior delivery was incorrect and the replacement food is ready, review the available provider, then submit once. Check the result and tracking. Do not refund, charge the customer again, or create another food order just to request a driver.
If the button is missing, disabled, or fails, ask Dinevate support for help. Include the restaurant, order number or customer name, what went wrong, and whether the replacement is ready. Staff may need manager approval. A support case does not book a driver or guarantee a pickup time.
Reporting a delivery issue to Dinevate#
Two ways in, both land on the same team.
From the tablet#
- Open the order.
- Scroll to "Having issues with this order?" and tap it.
- The Support Center opens with the order, the delivery, the driver, and the customer already filled in.
- Pick what went wrong and add anything only you know.
From the dashboard#
- Go to Support in your Merchant Dashboard, or open the order's menu in Orders History and choose Delivery Issues?.
- Choose the reason that fits:
- No driver assigned
- Driver is late
- Order wasn't picked up
- Customer didn't receive the order
- Wrong address or driver can't find customer
- Order arrived damaged or incomplete
- Need to cancel this delivery
- Something else
- Describe what happened. Specifics help: "arrived 90 minutes late", "driver marked delivered, customer never got it", "two items missing".
- Submit.
Urgent reasons (no driver, not picked up, not delivered) are raised as high severity automatically, so they go to the front of the queue.
What a report can get back. Your report goes to the delivery provider, who reviews it and decides. If they approve it, they credit the entire order, including the delivery fee. How much comes back is their call, up to the full order amount, based on what went wrong.
You can follow it on the order itself: Pending Review while the provider is looking at it, then Approved or Declined. Approved means the provider has credited the order and there is nothing left for you to do. Declined means they rejected the claim.
Dinevate forwards and chases these reports, but the drivers work for the courier network. Dinevate is not responsible for them and cannot overturn a provider's decision.
Reporting other order problems#
The same Support flow covers the rest of what goes wrong with an order:
- Need help with a refund
- Order details are wrong
- Payment problem
- Customer complaint
- Order didn't print
Open it from the order itself whenever you can. A case that arrives with the order attached is answered much faster than one that starts with "an order last night".
If the customer goes to their bank instead#
A customer who disputes the charge with their bank instead of asking you creates a chargeback, and that runs on a deadline. Refunding an order after a chargeback has been opened does not close it. See the Chargebacks and Disputes guide.
A short checklist#
Cannot make an order that was just placed: reject it, then refund it if it was paid by card.
Order already made, customer wants it cancelled: refund it in full. That also cancels it.
One item was wrong or missing: partial refund for that item, keep the rest of the order.
Delivery is late or stuck: contact the existing driver or courier from the delivery card. Use Redispatch delivery when another driver is needed and the order is eligible.
Replacement food is ready: open the original order, including completed orders, and use Redispatch delivery with the replacement confirmation. Contact Dinevate support if the action is unavailable.
Order will not be delivered at all: cancel the delivery, refund the customer, then report the delivery issue. The provider can credit the whole order.
Questions#
Email info@dinevate.com or open a case from Support in your dashboard. Include the order number. The last four characters shown on the order are enough.