What are order issues?

An order issue is recorded when a customer reports that their order was not on time, not in full, or not as expected or when a delivery does not meet ezCater’s tracking standards

Not every small complaint becomes an official order issue, but when ezCater logs one, it will show in your Partner Portal and Operational Metrics under the metric that is affected.

Types of order issues

Order issues fall into a few main groups

Timing and delivery issues

Issues related to when and where the order arrived

Common examples

Delivery late or early
- Order arrived outside the promised delivery window in a way that impacted the event
Order did not arrive
- Order never reached the correct address and there is no clear evidence it was delivered elsewhere
Wrong delivery location
- Order was dropped at the wrong suite, building, or address
Food not ready for pickup (Dispatch)
- For Dispatch orders, food was not ready when the driver arrived at the scheduled pickup time

Food and packaging issues

Issues related to what was delivered and how it was packed

Missing items
- One or more menu items, sides, or beverages were not included
Incorrect items or prep
- Wrong dish sent or item prepared differently than ordered such as wrong protein or toppings
Dietary or special request not followed
- Labeled vegetarian, gluten‑free, or allergy‑friendly item not handled as requested
Food quality problems
- Food arrived cold when it should be hot, unsafe, or inedible
Not packaged as requested
- Items not individually packaged or labeled when required, or tray vs individual format not followed

Setup and experience issues

Order not set up when expected
- For Dispatch drivers, basic setup expectations were not met
Communication or miscommunication problems
- Missing or unclear information about access, timing, or contact that caused a fulfillment problem

Delivery tracking issues

With new delivery tracking standards, orders will be flagged with an order issue when full tracking is not provided:

Delivery untracked
- No valid tracking events were captured through ezCater’s approved tracking tools
Delivery partially tracked
- Some tracking steps were recorded but they did not meet ezCater’s standard for real‑time tracking
Delivery outsourced
- Delivery was handled by a third‑party outside Dispatch or an approved integration and is always treated as untracked

Orders where delivery tracking is not provided can lead to a fee of $2.25 charged to the order. Read more here about our new delivery standards

Why order issues are important to track

Order issues matter because they:

Affect your Operational Metrics and can affect your search ranking
Influence your ability to earn and keep Reliability Rockstar status
Affect how customers rate and review your location
Help you spot patterns so you can fix root causes before they turn into bigger problems

Examples:

Repeated missing item issues may point to a packing or checklist gap
Frequent late delivery issues may signal that lead times, capacity, or routing need adjustment
Ongoing tracking issues may mean drivers are not using delivery tracking tools correctly

How to view order issues

You can see order issues directly in the Partner Portal

On individual orders

To view issues on a specific order:

Log into the Partner Portal at https://partnerportal.ezcater.com
Go to the Orders tab and open the Completed order you want to review
Look for the "Issues reported with this order" box on the right side of the order page

There you’ll see:

A list of any order issues recorded for that order
A summary of issue types such as lateness, missing items, or tracking problems
A Dispute link if the issue type is eligible for dispute

From the Completed Orders list

To scan for recent issues:

Go to Orders → Completed
Look for orders flagged with an issue icon or label
Click into any flagged order to see details in the "Issues reported with this order" box

Through Operational Metrics scorecards

Order issues also roll up into your Operational Metrics tab:

Open the Operational Metrics tab in the Partner Portal
Click into impacted metrics such as
- Order Accuracy
- On‑time Delivery
- Ready for Dispatch
- Delivery Tracking
View orders impacting your score, and open orders to see details in the "Issues reported with this order" box

Using these views together gives you a complete picture of where issues are happening and how to prevent them

How to dispute order issues and compensation

If you believe an order issue or related compensation was applied incorrectly, you can dispute it directly in the Partner Portal. All disputes go to ezCater’s Caterer Operations team for review

When to submit a dispute

It is appropriate to submit a dispute when you believe...

The issue reason is wrong
- Example: Order was marked late but your timestamps show it arrived on time
The compensation amount is not fair based on what actually happened
Both the issue reason and compensation are incorrect

Disputes should focus on facts and evidence, not just disagreement with a customer’s feelings about the order

How to dispute an issue

To submit a dispute:

Log into the Partner Portal
Go to Orders → Completed and open the specific order
In the "Issues reported with this order" box on the right, click Dispute an issue
A dispute form will open on the side of the page. Complete all requested fields, including
- Which issue(s) you are disputing
- A clear reason for the dispute (what happened from your perspective)
- The refund or adjustment you believe is appropriate, if you are disputing compensation
- Any supporting evidence such as
  - Photos of the order or setup
  - Timestamps from your systems
  - Notes about building access or customer communication
Submit the form

Important notes

Disputes must be submitted by the restaurant through the Partner Portal
Support agents cannot submit the dispute form on your behalf
Some issue types such as Delivery outsourced may not be disputable (the dispute button will be disabled if this is the only issue on the order)

Next Steps

Once you submit a dispute:

The case is routed to ezCater’s Caterer Operations team
They review
- The original order details and issues
- Customer feedback and internal notes
- Any evidence you provided in the dispute form
- Delivery tracking data and photos when available

After review, they will

Decide whether to
- Uphold, adjust, or remove the order issue
- Uphold, reduce, or remove the compensation amount
Update the order to reflect the decision
Notify you of the outcome, typically via email

In most cases, you can expect a response within 2 business days after submitting your dispute, though complex cases may take slightly longer

The final decision will be visible: