How to File a Complaint with Instacart

Instacart complaints should be handled as grocery delivery, pickup, restaurant, retail marketplace, shopper, order issue, refund, credit, return, Instacart+ membership, age-restricted item, safety, privacy, or support issues. Instacart is not a meal kit company. It is a marketplace where customers order groceries, retail items, restaurant items, and other products from participating retailers and have them shopped, delivered, or prepared for pickup.

Instacart's current Help Center says customers can self-report grocery or other retailer order problems within 3 days of pickup or delivery, excluding restaurant orders, for credit or refund review. It lists reportable issues such as missing items, incorrect items, expired/damaged/spoiled items, poor replacements, late or delayed orders, wrong order delivered, and orders that never arrived. Instacart says refunds are processed immediately, but the payment method may take extra time to make funds available.

Instacart's order cancellation page says customers can cancel for free before a shopper has accepted the order. Canceling after a shopper accepts may result in a $15 cancellation fee, and rescheduling is free before shopping begins, though delivery fee differences may apply. Instacart+ pages say annual members may cancel within the first 5 calendar days of the paid membership and receive a membership-fee refund only if they have not placed orders using the membership.

This guide is for organizing a customer complaint. It is not legal advice, food-safety advice, medical advice, alcohol-law advice, privacy advice, or a decision about whether Instacart, a shopper, a retailer, a restaurant, a carrier, a payment issuer, a regulator, or another company must issue a refund, credit, replacement, cancellation, fee waiver, return approval, or policy exception.

Best Instacart Complaint Paths

The strongest Instacart complaint identifies the order, final receipt, item-level problem, report date, and the requested refund or credit.

Step-by-Step: How to File an Instacart Complaint

What to Have Ready Before Contacting Instacart

For item complaints, lead with the final receipt. For cancellation complaints, lead with whether a shopper had accepted the order.

Missing, Incorrect, Damaged, or Spoiled Items

Instacart's refund and returns page says customers can self-report grocery or retailer order problems within 3 days of pickup or delivery, excluding restaurant orders. It says eligible problems include missing items that were charged on the final receipt and damaged, spoiled, or otherwise unusable items.

Instacart can issue a refund or credit up to the amount paid for the item. It may issue a partial refund or credit if only part of the item is missing or damaged.

Use this table:

If an item is marked Not Charged, Instacart says the customer was never billed for that item, so no separate bank refund will appear for that item.

Late Orders, Missing Orders, and Wrong Delivery

Instacart's report-a-problem page says late or delayed orders, wrong order delivered, and orders that never arrived can be reported through the app or website. The problem-with-your-order page says if an order never arrived, the customer should reach out to Instacart Customer Experience.

Use this table:

For orders that never arrived, contact support instead of filing only item-level refunds.

Cancellation, Rescheduling, and Fees

Instacart's cancellation page says customers can cancel for free before a shopper has accepted the order. Canceling after a shopper accepts may result in a $15 cancellation fee. Rescheduling is free before shopping begins, but the customer may be charged for any delivery-fee difference.

Instacart says custom orders, including meal combos, catering orders, bundled holiday meals, cakes, deli sandwiches, and deli items such as sliced meat and cheese, may not be canceled or rescheduled inside a retailer-specific 24-48 hour window.

Use this table:

Ask Instacart to identify whether the shopper had accepted and whether the cancellation fee was applied under the policy.

Refunds, Credits, and Final Receipt Issues

Instacart says it processes refunds immediately, but the customer's financial institution may take more time to make funds available. It also says customers who request a refund within 24 hours of receiving the order may receive a same-day refund; same-day refunds may appear as an adjustment to the original charge rather than a separate statement line.

Instacart says credits appear in the Credits, promos & gift cards section and automatically apply at checkout on the next order.

Use this table:

Ask Instacart to confirm whether it issued a refund, credit, partial item refund, same-day adjustment, or no remedy.

Retailer Returns and High-Value Items

Instacart's return policy says some items purchased through Instacart can only be returned in-store, and retailer return policies vary. Its retailer return policies page lists different rules by store, including whether refunds are store credit, whether government-issued photo ID is required, whether a transaction barcode is needed, and what return window applies.

Use this table:

Do not assume one retailer's Instacart return policy applies to another retailer. Check the specific store policy.

Instacart+ Membership Complaints

Instacart's membership page says annual members may cancel an Instacart+ membership within the first 5 calendar days of the paid membership and get a refund of the membership fee paid, but only if they have not placed orders using the membership. Instacart+ promotional terms also state that if the customer cancels at another time, they may continue using benefits through the end of the paid membership term without a refund.

Use this table:

Membership complaints should be handled separately from grocery-order refunds.

Age-Restricted Items and Safety Incidents

Instacart's age-restricted item policy says damaged alcohol items may receive credits or refunds for issues such as cracked or shattered glass, broken seals, missing or tampered labels, or poor bagging. Instacart also has a safety incident reporting route for shopper-related issues including intoxication, discrimination, food safety, personal injury, or property damage.

Use this table:

Safety issues should be reported through Instacart's safety route and, when necessary, appropriate emergency or local authorities.

Account, Payments, Gift Cards, and Promos

Instacart account issues can involve membership, order history, payment methods, gift cards, promo credits, EBT SNAP, senior support, business accounts, and partner benefits.

Use this table:

For payment issues, do not send full card numbers in chat or email. Use the order number, date, amount, and payment type.

Privacy and Data Requests

Privacy requests should be handled separately from active order, refund, membership, and safety complaints so records remain available while the issue is reviewed.

Common privacy-related requests include:

If a refund, credit, or safety report is open, save records before requesting deletion.

When to Escalate Beyond Instacart

Escalation is strongest when it identifies the order, item, final receipt, report date, membership status, and requested remedy.

What to Say in an Instacart Complaint

Use this script:

"I need Instacart to review a complaint for account [email] and order [order number]. The issue is [missing item, incorrect item, damaged item, spoiled item, poor replacement, late order, order never arrived, wrong order delivered, cancellation fee, retailer return, Instacart+ membership, gift card, age-restricted item, safety incident, account access, privacy request, or support delay]. The relevant details are [delivery or pickup date, final receipt, item names, shopper status, cancellation time, membership start date, retailer, return window, or support date]. I have attached [receipt, photos, shopper messages, delivery proof, cancellation screen, membership screen, credits screen, return barcode, or support thread]. I am requesting [item refund, account credit, partial refund, cancellation-fee review, delivery investigation, retailer return instructions, Instacart+ membership review, credit correction, safety review, account help, privacy response, or written policy explanation]. Please confirm the decision in writing."

Instacart Complaint FAQ