What If My Cook Is Late or Doesn't Arrive?

PlatedUp uses a 15-minute grace period for a confirmed booking. If your Cook is running more than 15 minutes late, or doesn't arrive at all, you have options — you're never required to just wait through a delay that isn't working for you.

If your Cook is running late

If your Cook expects to arrive late, they should let you know as soon as possible with an updated estimated arrival time.

A delay of 15 minutes or less doesn't, on its own, create a refund. If you're concerned or the delay continues, we recommend messaging your Cook through PlatedUp — see Messaging Your Cook — so there's a record of the conversation and any updated arrival time. That said, your refund rights below don't depend on whether you sent a message — an obvious no-show or Cook-side failure isn't your fault just because you didn't message first.

More than 15 minutes late

If your Cook hasn't begun the service within 15 minutes of your booking's scheduled start time, you can choose to keep waiting or cancel because of the lateness.

If you cancel because your Cook is more than 15 minutes late and service hasn't started, you don't pay a customer cancellation fee. The full Cook service amount and PlatedUp's service fee for that booking are refunded or released — this is treated as a Cook-side issue, not a normal customer cancellation.

If you decide to keep the booking

If your Cook arrives late and you decide to continue, and you still receive the full amount of Cook-service time you booked — even if your session starts and ends later than planned — no refund applies just because your Cook was late. If something else about the situation concerns you, PlatedUp Support can review it.

If your Cook's lateness means you receive less Cook-service time than you paid for, the undelivered time is refunded using PlatedUp's fixed $25/hour Cook service rate. For example: you book a Cook for 4 hours (4 × $25 = $100 for Cook time). If lateness means only 3.5 hours of Cook service can actually be provided, the undelivered 0.5 hour is refunded: 0.5 × $25 = $12.50.

For a partially completed booking, PlatedUp Support may also review whether an additional adjustment — including to PlatedUp's service fee — is appropriate based on the circumstances.

If you agreed on a later start time

If your Cook lets you know they'll be more than 15 minutes late, you're not required to wait — you can still choose to cancel because of the delay, unless you agree to a revised start time.

If you and your Cook agree to a new start time, your booking proceeds at that time; the original delay isn't treated as a cancellation, and there's no refund solely because the original start time changed, since you agreed to the new one. If your Cook then misses the newly agreed time too, the same lateness options above apply again.

If your Cook doesn't arrive

If your Cook never begins the service, that's a Cook no-show — different from your Cook actively canceling your booking, which is covered in What If My Cook Cancels? You don't pay a customer cancellation fee, and both the Cook service amount and PlatedUp's service fee for that booking are refunded or released in full.

If you'd still like the service, PlatedUp may be able to help you find another available Cook, or you can make a new booking. We can't guarantee a replacement Cook will be available at the same time — see What If No Cook Is Available? if that happens.

If there's a safety concern

The 15-minute guidance above is for ordinary lateness. If you feel unsafe or there's an emergency, you don't need to wait it out — for an active emergency, contact local emergency services first, then see Emergency Situations. For a non-emergency safety concern, see Reporting a Safety Concern.

Groceries and other purchases

The PlatedUp booking refunds described here apply to PlatedUp booking charges. Groceries you've already purchased, grocery delivery charges, and charges from a retailer or delivery service aren't automatically refunded by PlatedUp and remain subject to that provider's own policies. See Who Buys the Groceries?

Cook reliability

PlatedUp tracks Cook lateness, cancellations, and no-shows, because reliability matters for confirmed bookings. Repeated avoidable lateness or no-shows may affect a Cook's standing on PlatedUp and can lead to account review or restrictions.

Refund timing

Once PlatedUp issues a refund to your card, it generally appears on your original payment method within about 5–10 business days, though actual timing can vary by bank or card issuer.

If a refund is issued soon after your original payment, it can sometimes appear as the original charge simply disappearing rather than as a separate refund line — see Authorization Holds.

Still need help?

If your Cook doesn't arrive and you can't reach them, or you have a question about a specific lateness situation, contact PlatedUp Support with your booking details.