ORDER ISSUE PROCESS

Driver response first. Owner approval before money moves.

The case system is built to resolve missing, wrong, damaged, or late coffee without silently charging a driver or pretending a legal question is an app setting.

How a case works

  1. The customer opens an issue on a paid order and chooses a reason.
  2. The assigned driver sees the complaint and adds their response and evidence.
  3. The system produces a policy recommendation, never a final legal judgment.
  4. The owner reviews the order timeline, messages, store information, and both sides.
  5. If approved, a manual Stripe refund can be issued for the coffee amount. Automatic refunds remain disabled.

Tips and card disputes

Espresso Run's own partial-refund workflow excludes the optional tip from the requested coffee refund. However, no platform can promise that a tip is untouchable if a cardholder disputes the entire card charge through their bank. Payment disputes follow card-network and Stripe rules.

Driver responsibility is not automatic

The dashboard records a proposed driver-responsibility amount as $0 until a state-specific agreement and legal review authorize a lawful process. Espresso Run does not use a refundable “job deposit,” automatic paycheck deduction, or AI clawback. Those controls can create wage, contract, and worker-classification risk.

Calling a driver a 1099 contractor does not decide their legal status. Actual control over schedules, prices, supervision, discipline, and the relationship matters, and state or local law may use stricter tests.