Scott Rosenblatt canceled his Uber Eats order but still had to pay for it. Now Uber is blocking his account. Can he get them to drop the charges and unfreeze his account?

Q: I ordered lunch at King of Pita through Uber Eats but quickly realized I’d forgotten to add some items to my order. I followed Uber’s cancellation process and canceled the order within 30 seconds. However, I was still charged a cancellation fee. Uber claims the restaurant had already accepted my order, but when I called the restaurant, they said they hadn't started making the food and considered the order canceled.

I contacted Uber customer service (which felt more like a chatbot), but they wouldn’t budge. As a last resort, I contacted my credit card company and explained the situation. They sided with me and reversed the charges. Now, Uber is saying I didn't pay for the order and is trying to collect the money. They've even blocked my account. Can you help me get this resolved? I just want the charge removed from my account. -- Scott Rosenblatt, Hollywood, Fla.

A: It looks like Uber Eats charged you a cancellation fee even though you canceled the order almost immediately and the restaurant confirmed they hadn’t started preparing the food.

You did the right thing by documenting your interactions with Uber and the restaurant. You also made a smart move by disputing the charge with your credit card company.

However, you might have avoided this whole mess by carefully reviewing Uber Eats’ cancellation policy before placing your order. Many food delivery apps have policies that allow restaurants to charge a fee for orders that are canceled after a certain point, even if the food hasn't been prepared. 

Uber Eats says you can cancel and get a full refund if the restaurant hasn't accepted your order. And it appears that King of Pita accepted the order but didn't start preparing the food -- an important distinction.

Uber's next step is automatic. If you dispute a credit card charge, and you win the chargeback, Uber will disable your account until it gets its money. This is an increasingly common business practice, with vacation rental platforms and car rental companies leading the way. If you win a credit card dispute, you're blacklisted -- until you pay up.

You could have also tried escalating your complaint to an Uber executive. Sometimes, getting the attention of someone higher up in the company can help resolve these kinds of issues quickly. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the Uber executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

I contacted Uber on your behalf. A representative reviewed your case and reinstated your account without commenting on your specific issue. You are free to order again on Uber Eats, although I might think twice before canceling an order.

Your case also exposes a problem with Uber Eats. There appears to be no way to modify an order and to switch from delivery to pickup in Uber's system. Maybe Uber will use your case to upgrade its system, allowing future customers to modify their orders without being blacklisted.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/