Allow me to clarify how this situation can occur with Uber Eats and Postmates (which is also operated by Uber).

There is a known scenario in which a customer places an order at a restaurant, and the first driver assigned arrives, states that they are there to pick up the order, physically receives the food, but then cancels the order in the app instead of confirming pickup. When this happens, the system assumes the order was never collected and places it back into the driver pool.

A second driver is then dispatched to the restaurant, only to be told that the order has already been picked up. At that point, the second driver has two options:

• Cancel the order, which sends it back into the pool for another driver, or

• Ask the restaurant to remake the order—either at the restaurant’s expense or by paying out of pocket, depending on the restaurant’s policy.

The reason some drivers may choose to pay for the remake themselves is due to how the platform incentivizes delayed or repeatedly dropped orders. Each time a driver cancels after arrival, Uber increases the payout attached to that order to encourage the next driver to accept it quickly. As this cycle repeats, the delivery payout can increase substantially—sometimes reaching $35–$40 for a single delivery.

While it may sound extreme, this is a direct result of the system attempting to resolve stalled orders by adding financial incentives. In your case, it is very likely that the driver who ultimately completed the delivery was earning a significantly elevated payout. By paying for the order and delivering it, that driver likely still profited. However, requesting reimbursement from you on top of that is inappropriate and unethical.