What if my Instacart Order is Late? (Guarantee + More)

Instacart is an amazing time saver when it comes to grocery delivery. You may not even need to set foot in a grocery store again.

Plus, they deliver more than just groceries–you can fulfill your craving for a midnight snack or have diapers delivered. Instacart now delivers 24/7 from stores that are open all night, so you can request deliveries at any time.

But if we are relying on this service to give us what we want when we want it, can we get a refund if our Instacart order is late?

You can get a refund or store credit of your order fees if your Instacart order is late, but you typically cannot get a refund or credit of the amount of the order itself since you still received the items.

Read on for some tips about getting a refund for a late order on Instacart.

Table of Contents

Can I get a refund if my Instacart order is late?

Under Instacart’s 100% satisfaction guarantee, you can get a refund or credit for the amount of any fees you paid to Instacart if your order arrives outside of the specified delivery window.

You will not get a full refund of the order since you received the ordered items.

That said, if you did receive the items late but still feel you deserve a refund (for example, if the fact that the order was late meant you no longer wanted the items) you should contact Instacart Care and explain the issue.

Instacart prides itself on customer service, so it is always a good idea to call if you have any issue.

In the case of a refund or credit request, Instacart reserves the right to decide:

The extent to which your issue is an order issue;
Whether you get a refund or store credit;
The amount of credit/refund;
Whether they need more evidence of your issue;
Whether you need to return any items to get credit/refund.

They know that you are using the service because you can rely on them to deliver on time, so contact them immediately if your order is late.

How long do I have to make an Instacart complaint?

Instacart would like for you to submit any request for a credit or refund within four days of pickup or delivery.

If you are more than four days past receiving your items, you can still get a refund if you have an authorized complaint, but you will need to contact Instacart Care in order to discuss your refund.

Instacart will give you up to seven days from receipt of items to report an issue through Instacart Care.

That said, if you are more than seven days out from receiving your items, you should still contact Instacart Care and explain the situation.

If you have a good reason for being late, they still might make an exception, though it is at Instacart’s discretion.

What is the Instacart 100% satisfaction guarantee?

Instacart really wants their customers to be happy, since they want your repeat business and they are facing stiff competition in the market for grocery delivery services.

You will need to have made an order through the official Instagram platform that indicates “100% Satisfaction Guarantee” in order to get a credit or refund.

They will refund or credit you if you notify them of a problem within a week. Not all situations are eligible for credit or refund, however.

What can I get a return credit for at Instacart?

There are several instances where you will be guaranteed a refund or credit under the 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Unfortunately, a late order will typically only be refunded or credited the amount of the fees on the order.

Instacart really wants you to be pleased with their service, so you can get credit if there are any of the following problems with your order:

Your order is missing items you ordered.
Your order was filled with incorrect items.
You were given expired, damaged, or spoiled items.
Instacart replaced unavailable items with items of poor quality.

If your issue doesn’t fall into one of these categories (for example, if you just don’t like an item, or you changed your mind about an item, or if you accidentally ordered something) then the availability of a credit is at the discretion of Instacart.

Again, if you have a problem outside one of these issues, it’s a good idea to contact Instacart Care and see if a solution can be reached.

How can I get a refund or credit from Instacart?

You can start a refund request on the app or on the website. You can also call Instacart Care at 1-888-246-7822.

On the app:

Go to your “Orders” on the bottom right corner.
Find the relevant order and click “Get Help.”
Choose the correct issue from the drop down menu.
If your issue is with an item, click on that item.
If you are eligible for a credit, select “Get Credit.” Or you can select “Help Center” and be connected with Instacart Care.

You will have to repeat this process if you have issues with more than one item.

On the website:

Click the horizontal lines icon and go to “Your Orders.”
Choose “report a problem” on the relevant order.
Choose an issue from the drop down menu.
Choose any affected item. Or choose “Other issues” and specify an issue.
Choose receive a credit or contact customer care.

How late can Instacart shoppers work?

Instacart doesn’t determine how late shoppers can work–the stores do. If your local grocery stores close at 9 or 10 at night, Instacart shoppers will most likely also stop at that time (unless your grocery store has an arrangement that lets them shop outside business hours).

If your stores are open all night, Instacart shoppers can work all night. For instance, many chain convenience stores (like 7-eleven), grocery stores (Safeway), and pharmacies (CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens) are open 24/7.

Instacart wants their customers to be able to satisfy that craving for a midnight snack, or a late night need for cough medicine, so they make delivery windows available 24/7.

Many late night orders are smaller orders rather than large grocery deliveries.

How late is too late for Instacart?

There isn’t a “too late” for Instacart anymore. Or, in other words, Instacart never closes. That said, if you are driving for Instacart, make sure you feel safe driving at night and take appropriate precautions.

Instacart provides safety services in the shopper app if you are nervous about using Instacart after dark.

What to do if an Instacart customer isn’t responding?

If you are shopping for Instacart and an item isn’t available, you can go ahead and choose any of the replacement items that the customer indicated without getting a response from the customer.

If the customer didn’t indicate an approved replacement, you will have to use your judgment. If there is another replacement item that is of similar quality and price, you can make that selection.

If it isn’t obvious that the replacement is adequate, it’s probably a good idea to refund the customer.

Shoppers are not penalized for refunds.

Customers don’t have to be home if they selected for you to leave the groceries at the door.

If you are delivering an order and the customer isn’t responding or isn’t home, and didn’t select “leave at door,” wait ten minutes and then return the order to the store and contact Instacart Care.

How long does Instacart’s refund take?

Refunds will be processed right away, but refunds are subject to procedures at banks and credit card companies.

Refunds may take around 5-10 days to show up on your statement.

Refunds will go directly to your bank account or credit card, not your Instacart account.

Credits will show up in your Instacart account immediately after approval.

Do Instacart orders have a time limit?

You will need to determine what the delivery time is for a given order and plan accordingly. Instacart has a variety of plans that vary from within 45 minutes to within 5 hours, or during a specific window.

If you are shopping for an order, aim for filling one item per minute. This is the expected time to fill an order. If an item is unavailable, you will need to determine whether to replace the item.

If you are picking up an Instacart order, you can pick it up at any time within your pickup window.

Conclusion

If your Instacart order is late, you will most likely be entitled to a refund or credit for the fees you paid for delivery. This will be at Instacart’s discretion, however.

If you were not home to receive your order and didn’t indicate the driver could leave it, Instacart will not refund the fee.

If your order is very late, or so late that you no longer have a need for the items (for example you went out and bought them yourself) give Instacart Care a call.

They can refund or credit orders at their discretion, and they want you to be happy.

References

https://www.instacart.com/help/article/quality-guarantee-terms