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It's going to suck hearing this stuff, but no worries because after understanding it. Then we can do some really easy things to fix it. If customers can accept the fact that these apps operate in a TOTALLY different way. It's nothing like you're used to, and sometimes it completely defies basic logic. Aiming your complaints to the app platforms rarely solves anything. Because most people involved in the process are not employees. Delivery drivers are 3rd party independent contractors. The restaurants are only partners with the platforms. And many customer / driver support agents have personally told me they are not direct employees of the app platform. Like with many corporations it's all about the money, service comes second Sometimes the apps don't care if your food is late, many drivers care though Sometimes we're sort of forced to do double delivery's, two customers with orders from different restaurants If one of the restaurants is late, well now both delivery's are going to be late Talking with support one time this is the actual quote from them "It doesn't matter if it's late, as long as you inform the customer of the situation" I don't like the foolish scripts support is forced to use, so my response was this lol. "Oh you mean by sending them a text that they never see, or calling them only to have it show some crazy number on their caller ID. So they don't answer because they think it's a junk call." There's no script to guide them on a response like that lol, so silence was all I got Support agents have a HIGH turnover rate, most of them don't give two true craps. There are some agents that try to do good, and try to change things. But all they can do is send information up the ladder, and it feels like nobody at the top ever listens. I've thoroughly deconstructed this business folks, I have most of the answers, and most of the fixes. I've had a few off the record conversations with support staff. Ya I actually got a few agents who really care, to call me directly on their personal time. They were able to tell me things they never could while on the job, those calls are all recorded. When we were outside of the ears of the app platforms, some of the stuff they told me was simply mind boggling. Some of their standard procedures are ridiculous and could cause multiple issues. From customers being upset unnecessarily, to potentially putting drivers in physically dangerous situations. "There's such a legal separation between the app and the driver, that safety doesn't really matter that much. The chance of the company being held liable for anything" I've also had many long and constructive conversations with Customers, Drivers, and Merchants

Customers it's not an option you have to use those delivery instructions, but wisely.

And you ABSOLUTELY HAVE to include your knocking/ringing preference. It's in your best interest, I'll explain later

Are you on your P.C.? I'll give you a template you can just copy and paste. If your on your mobile device you can click on the button at the very bottom of the page "I'm on my mobile". And I have isolated the message so you can long click it and your phone will give you the copy and paste option screen

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you're a non-tipper. Using the following message could bring bad results for you. Basically 90% of drivers will just unassign your delivery. These apps end up paying us like 30% less than minimum wage, sometimes lower. So nobody's trying to hear demands from non tippers lol. Let the tippers use this message, it will fix the drivers. And then you will still end up benefiting from the message while never having used it. I have a whole section about how the app platforms, and delivery drivers handle no tip orders. Because yes drivers know your tip upfront, that's just how it goes

THE MESSAGE
Parts of it have to be customized to fit your situation. Mainly the part telling your driver SPECIFICALLY about your door knocking preference.....IT REALLY MATTERS FOR MANY REASONS

"Driver thank you for everything you do. Could you please ring the door bell before leaving. Also could you please use a hot bag, and include it in the proof of delivery picture. I know you sometimes have to do doubles or triples, but as a customer I enjoy hot food. Please don't block my door with the food or drinks. Because of this whole contactless delivery thing, we probably won't meet face to face. But I really do appreciate the service you provide. And please drive safely, everyone deserves to make it home safe. I promise not to complain if you're a few minutes late due to safe driving. I know some things are beyond your control"

That's the copy and paste part, now you have to add a few customization's after that part

If you're at work or a business, what's the name of the business? It helps us more than you can imagine. Commercial property building numbering can SUCK sometimes. Many times it's easier to find it by the name.

If it's a large business, how should we find you once we get there?

If you know Google maps goofs up your address, let the driver know. Google is the common platform the apps use.

If your house is hard to find, or doesn't have an address marker. A few property details helps.

House with the red trim, or what type of vehicles are usually in the driveway

Ya drivers should be navigational rock stars, but let's face it many aren't

Ya some might consider that message a little corny, and long. But you only have to do it once, then it's there for all future drivers unless you change it. But our goal is to receive great service right? That message will start changing things. One of the biggest problems in this industry is the lack of that personal touch. Drivers almost never see their customer, so there's no real sense of responsibility to the customer.

Folks, the "delivery fee" doesn't go to your driver lol

So basically when you order there are two common fees you will see on your check out screen

Some restaurants are getting greedy and want the benefit of delivery, without paying any of the costs that come with delivery

"fees", and then "delivery fee"

"fees" goes to the app platform to cover some operating costs. Usually this is the pay for the driver, ya that's all they pay us. It's why drivers tend to focus on orders that have tips attached. Yes we know upfront if, and how much you tipped. Your not obligated to tip, but we're also not obligated to accept your delivery when it's offered to us. More often than not it's the low quality drivers who accept no tip orders. But if it's super slow, well good drivers will pick up some no tip orders.

the "delivery fee" is charged by the restaurant, and does NOT go to your driver. It's the restaurants way of recouping the 15% to 30% of the order total they are charged by the app platform

The basics of this one is really simple Customers you must pick your own replacement choices while placing the order, four reasons #1 The replacement options the Instacart app will offer your shopper are beyond ridiculous sometimes. No plastic flowers, app says get flower seeds. No celery salt seasoning, app says get stalks of celery. No D sized batteries, app will suggest those coin sized watch batteries. And then have the nerve to say "sometimes approved by customer. #2 We're probably shopping for you because you don't have time to do it. And when we're on the shop you're probably at work, or otherwise occupied. So chatting through text about replacements many times isn't an option for you. And it can be a headache for shoppers (not because we dislike customers) But figuring out just two replacements can take 10 minutes lol. And many times they have us shopping 2 or 3 orders at a time. So texting with 3 customers simultaneously, about 10 replacements. Well that would even test Mr. Rogers patience level lol. #3 The app is all about their money, nothing inherently wrong with that. But it pushes us to replace instead of refund. So you may end up with something you don't want. Even when you have selected "refund if out of stock" the app sometimes says to us "If you know of a good replacement you can offer it to them. I'm always like "ERRRRRR the customer just specifically requested a refund" #4 Some shoppers don't know any better, and will grab whatever the app suggests. And when the replacement you recieve isn't even in the same ball park as your original item (remember celery salt, to stalks of celery lol) your going to think you got charged for something you didn't order. I swear the programmers that set up the replacements part of the app have NEVER been inside a grocery store. Delivery procedures "leave at door" vs. "meet the customer" These app platforms don't like your shopper/driver very much, whether it's food delivery or grocery delivery Don't think your shopper is just being a jerk because they won't leave it at your door, when the order is marked as a meet the customer. We have to follow very specific protocols, or we risk being FIRED without warning, with no mercy, and no fair appeals process. Be ready to send a message to us through the apps messenger stating "it's ok for the shopper to leave the order at my door" Putting that as a side note in the delivery instructions does not always cover the shopper. Shoppers need to be able to screen shot the text you send us. In case Instacart decides to fire us, sometimes the screen shot will get you reinstated.

The general point of this section is that we know your tip upfront, and it's important.

Drivers/shoppers are not employees of the app platforms, restaurants, or grocery/retail stores. We are independent contractors running our own individual delivery business.

The industry couldn't survive if they didn't do it like this. There's not enough money generated to cover the costs of having us as employees. They depend on customers tips to subsidize our pay enough to keep us happy.

The number of customers and orders continually shrinks and expands. Having us as contractors allows them to shrink without having to ever pay unemployment, this is necessary and I'm not upset about it because I understand it.

This structure does inadvertently cause A LOT of service issues though. Professional minded drivers/shoppers can compensate for it and give you the best possible service. Scum bag scally wag drivers/shoppers can't, and provide HORRIBLE service.

But the apps are not allowed to train us since we're independent contractors. That's why It's so important what I'm doing. I'm doing something they desperately want to, but are not legally allowed to do.

Training drivers on what customers actually want

They actually put some hurdles in the way of what customers really want

Forcing us to do double and triple customer delivery's is not always in the customers best interest.

The biggest problem is when one of the restaurants is late. Now we have the first customers order waiting in our car. While we are waiting on the next restaurant to get their order ready. Sometimes it can be a 20 minute wait at the second restaurant. Because the restaurant will tell us "5 minutes" and then before you know it 20 minutes has went by. Chicago Pizza with a twist does that a lot, and it's why I tend to avoid accepting delivery's from their location.

And instead of the app letting us unassign the order that isn't ready, they force us to wait for it. Doordash is by far the biggest offender when it comes to this, and it's a common reason your order takes so long. It forces us to provide horrible customer service, and the customers sometimes penalize drivers for it with a low rating. They don't know it's actually Doordash's fault, not ours.

There are sometimes ways to avoid being forced into these multiple delivery's. But it does DECREASE a drivers profit, because we're basically turning down a second paying order. Just so that our original customer gets the best delivery time possible. If you scored me as a driver at least your order is waiting in a HEATED delivery bag. But I see too many drivers not even using regular bags. That's why the food is always cold, April of 2023 for one Month we had flexibility. Doordash let us drop the second order if we had waited more than 5 minutes for it. This was finally something smart Doordash did (they are always late to the game) But May 1st of 2023 they took this flexibility away. Great job Doordash, customers really need to flood the support lines with complaints. And demand they give this flexibility back to the drivers. It helps us get orders to you faster, so no matter the minor abuses by drivers. The overall value far outweighs any abuse of the policy by drivers.

Basically from what I gather drivers were using it to drop the second order, if that customer didn't tip well. If the second customer tipped well then they would wait for the second customers order.

When things go wrong like missing orders or missing items. The app platform usually foots about 75% of the cost, and the merchant 25%. As you can imagine this cost probably gets pretty high for the apps. So they will only give you so many credits or refunds, before cutting you off.

This is unfortunate, and maybe in the future if enough of you back me we can change this. I feel for the apps on this one though because they never know. Was it the merchants fault, the drivers fault, or the customers fault. Yes believe it or not sometimes customers lie and say they didn't get something. And customers who do that REALLY need to stop, it's a PLAGUE on the service.

Not only does it make the app have to be stricter on giving refunds or credits. But you can also get a driver fired over you lie. They don't ask us any questions, they just deactivate us.