Mistakes and problems
Mistakes are bound to happen, even for magical Elves. The policy at Dinner Elf is to be proactive in fixing problems.
Appointment mistakes
If you make a cooking mistake:
- 1
- Finish cooking your other items.
- 2
- Contact the customer and your plan to make it right
If the timing works for you and the customer, return to the store to purchase groceries to remake the dish.
Emergencies
If an urgent situation arises:
- before arrival at the customer's home, follow our cancellation guidelines.
- after arrival and you have to leave mid-shift, contact Dinner Elf and the customer, put perishables in the refrigerator, and leave the house locked.
⚠️ Never leave a customer's home with the oven or stove on.
Refunds
If the cooking session can't be extended:
- 1
- Offer the customer a refund for the bad dish.
- 2
- Contact support with the details. Support will process the refund.
As an independent contractor, you assume financial responsibility for your work, but Dinner Elf cost-shares refunds with you (50% of refunds are deducted from your shift pay, up to a maximum of $35 per appointment).
⚠️ Never recook a dinner at another customer's home and deliver it. Why? If you cook in customer's #1 home and deliver to customer #2, then customer #1 has liability if customer #2 got sick (e.g., gluten was picked up).
Ongoing problems
On rare occasions, Elves make mistakes because they're not aware of best practices or take shortcuts.
- Frequent cancellations of booked appointments
- Purchasing groceries for multiple appointments at once (interim storage)
- Taking similar off-platform jobs with Dinner Elf customers
- Purchasing personal items for grocery reimbursement
- Customer complaints
To prevent problems, stay proactive in fixing problems and keep your calendar current.
If any of these problems occur, you'll receive a warning. If the problem continues (which we know it won't 😀), you may be removed from the platform.