Does this need to be reported?
If something happens once, or only every now and then, and there's nothing for Olio to investigate or escalate, you usually don't need to report it. For example:
You unpack the donation and find some squashed food
The donation's ready a bit later than usual, just this once
A store colleague makes a small mistake that doesn't keep happening
These things can be frustrating, and that's completely fair. But an occasional slip-up isn't usually something we need to look into. What matters is whether it's becoming a pattern.
If a donation's late once every few months, you probably don't need to report it. If it's late time, use the Issue Report Form so we can investigate and, where needed, raise it with the business.
You don't need to wait for something to happen repeatedly if it needs looking into straight away. For example, if a store colleague is rude to you, you can let us know straight away via the Issue Report Form.
Should I speak to the store first?
If you're still there and it's something the store might be able to fix, feel free to ask to speak to the Store Manager or person running the store that day, if you're comfortable doing so.
When should I use the Issue Report Form?
Use the Issue Report Form when you need us to investigate something and/or escalate it to the business. That might be because:
the same problem keeps happening
something couldn't be sorted with the store manager directly
there's a food safety concern
something happened with a store colleague, another collector or another Olio-er that we need to look into
there's a problem with a collection slot or another part of the process
You'll find the Issue Report Form in the Volunteer Hub, including through My Squads or My Collections for past collections.
What should I include?
The more detail you give us the first time, the easier it is for us to understand what happened and get it to the right people quickly. As well as information on what happened, please include where possible:
The time you it happened
who was involved (a name if you know it, or their role and what they looked like if not)
photos where useful, like mouldy or unsafe food
"The food wasn’t ready on time" doesn't give us much to go on. Something like "I arrived around 20:40 and was told to come back after 21:30. The same thing happened last Tuesday too but isn’t an issue on Thursdays.” gives us far more to work with, and means we're less likely to need to come back and ask you follow-up questions.
When should I use the post-collection action cards?
Only to record that the collection didn't happen. For example:
your car broke down and you couldn't get to the store
there was no food when you arrived, despite the app saying there would be
something else stopped the collection taking place
It's not a general feedback or issue-reporting channel.
If it's a one-off, that's all you need to do. If the same problem keeps happening, use both routes: the survey to log that this collection didn't happen, and the Issue Report Form to give us what we need to investigate the pattern.
When should I use the Squad Chat?
The Squad Chat is a group message with any other charity volunteers and Food Waste Heroes who collect from the same store. You can ask other volunteers questions they may be able to help answer for you, for example on directions to the store
Squad chats are not actively monitored as a route for getting Olio to investigate something, so if you need us to take action, use the Issue Report Form instead.
What happens after I report an issue to Olio?
When you submit an Issue Report Form, you'll get an automated email confirming we've received it. We log and review every report that comes in.
Due to the volume of reports we receive, you won't always get a personal reply or an update on the final outcome. For some issues, our part is making sure the right information reaches the business or the store, and it's down to them to act on it from there.
That doesn't mean your report's been ignored. We analyse categories across all reports to spot repeated problems and wider trends, and use that to make recommendations to the business on how to fix them.
If we need more detail from you, or your issue needs a closer look, we'll be in touch. Felix may also reach out to your charity directly if a problem keeps recurring at a store and needs more follow-up.