Which? finds multiple scam listings on Just Eat
Which? has found 23 listings on Just Eat that claim to sell alcohol, however, reviews complain of paying for orders and not receiving anything in return.
Some affected customers claim they couldn’t get a refund as the order had been marked as 'delivered'.
Below, we share our findings and explain how to spot and report a dodgy listing on Just Eat.
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Suspicious listings
Which? trawled hundreds of reviews across the 23 dodgy listings on JustEat, and they repeatedly shared the same experience of never receiving their order after paying and waiting.
Some of the listings we saw have more than 200 one-star reviews.
Many reviewers stated that they wanted their money back. But when they tried to call the business they ordered from, their calls were either unanswered or they said that they were running late and never showed up. In some instances, reviewers claimed they tried to call the number again, but this time the call didn't connect.
Which? also noticed some five star and four-and-a-half-star reviews were posted by the same name on the same day. Others were posted by the same name on more than one of the 23 listings. These are typically signs of a fake review.
- Read more: How to spot a fake review
Registered addresses
Which? looked up the addresses for all of the 23 listings we came across and found that most of them led back to self-storage units. One listing even had the name of the self-storage unit listed as the first part of its address, and some of the listings had the same addresses.
Storage units can be used legitimately by companies who wish to sell items without operating from a physical store.
Some listings impersonated legitimate companies. We spoke to one company that had been impersonated where its brand name and address was used to claim to sell alcohol products on Just Eat.
We found some of the names of the dodgy listings on Companies House, although we couldn’t confirm that these were the same companies. Companies House information revealed that three companies had been dissolved, meaning they shouldn’t be operating and another had recently received a compulsory strike-off, meaning it should be dissolved shortly.
What does Just Eat say?
Which? contacted Just Eat about these listings and it confirmed that it would be taking them offline.
Just Eat said: ‘Like all delivery companies, we have a strict onboarding process and conduct compliance checks to ensure our partners uphold the law and meet our clear service standards.
'While the vast majority provide excellent service, a small handful do not. This is a challenge for the entire industry, and we take firm action when issues arise. In this case, we are suspending these stores from our platform while we investigate further.
'We apologise to customers affected and are processing swift refunds. We remain committed to working with our partners to continuously improve our service and give customers the best possible experience.’
Spotting and reporting scam listings
Dodgy listings on all platforms can be hard to spot. A good first step is to check the reviews, if you see a lot of one to three-star reviews it’s probably best to avoid buying anything.
You should also pay attention to the address on the listing and check if the details match up when you type it into a search engine.
On Just Eat, you can report listings by selecting ‘report’ before completing a form to let the platform know why you’re reporting it.
If you lose money after ordering something on Just Eat and don’t receive a refund, you can try making a claim through chargeback or section 75 with your bank or credit provider.
If you think you've lost money to a scam, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your bank card and report it to Action Fraud or call the police on 101 if you’re in Scotland.
