Stop Losing Money to “Missing” and “Incorrect” Charges on Delivery Apps
Cut the noise, fight the fraud, and protect your margins—without burning out your team.
Cut & Serve Team
5/6/20241 min read
Third-party delivery already eats into profits, but error charges for Missing and Incorrect items (M&I) can quietly drain thousands more each year. These charges usually fall into two categories:
Incorrect – The item was made wrong (e.g., wrong modifiers, missing toppings).
Missing – The item never made it to the customer (forgotten or taken).
The most commonly flagged items?
Drinks, sides (chips, sauces, bread), and modifiers (“no cheese,” “extra sauce”). Small, easy to overlook—or steal. High-frequency refund triggers.
Operational Best Practices to Prevent M&I
Assign a final check: One expo team member should confirm the ticket line-by-line before handoff.
Train your team to confirm with Dashers: “Did you get the drink and chips?”
Add delivery instructions: “Includes drink and side—please confirm before leaving.”
Label bags clearly: Item counts, modifiers, and customer names help avoid wrong-bag pickups.
Audit your POS-to-platform menu sync: Mismatched modifiers are a silent killer.
How to Fight Back on Invalid Charges
Set a recurring weekly review: Download M&I reports from each platform.
Highlight and dispute patterns: Frequent complaints from the same customer or Dasher? Dispute it.
Document everything: Photos, timestamps, labeled tickets—this increases win rates on disputes.
Fraud happens—on both the customer and Dasher side. A strong paper trail and consistent dispute habit make a difference.
What’s the ROI?
Operators who implement these steps often cut M&I charges by 25–50% in the first month. That’s $3K+ per year, per store, back in your pocket.
You’re already doing great work. A few small systems can make sure you stop paying for mistakes that aren’t yours.