Tips For Drivers

Most merchants are pretty cool
But from time to time you will run into problems
Still be nice

They get crazy busy sometimes
Things get out of wack
Be patient
If you have routine problems at a merchant
Remember, you don't have to accept their orders
I have a couple I avoid unless the pay is too good to pass up
I even have one merchant I just flat out refuse to accept orders from

Management at most merchants are usually pretty helpful
But know this, there's a lot even they don't know about how this all works
Build a rapport with staff, it will go a long way

The employees can be jerks sometimes though
They may treat you like you're not a priority
But it's like hey, I represent many customers bud
Not just one

Fortunately this doesn't happen often

Yes it happens
Listen to me closely
Never, Ever, Ever, Never Ever
Contact a customer using their real phone number
They will leave their number in the delivery instructions
Then be like "call me if you have any problems"
Don't do it, that gives them your actual phone number
And it's a can of worms you don't want to open

Remember, the app companies will NEVER call you
Asking for account information, it's a scam
Let's be real here drivers
You know how hard it is to get a hold of driver support
You think they have time to be calling us, come on LOL

Getting a failure to deliver because you got the address wrong has to suck
I wouldn't know as it's never happened to me LOL
I've come close a couple times but caught it last second
Drivers, google isn't always correct
You have to be diligent once google tells you you're there
You have to find that address marker to be sure
Sometimes it's hard I know
Taking your delivery pics with a separate camera app helps
I use one called Spotlens, it's free and awesome
The ads are minimal and non annoying LOL
At the door it watermarks your pictures with the address
If the GPS matches the address your suppose to be at bam, great
Sometimes it will pop up with the obviously wrong address
So in those cases not much help
But it's about having a back up, for your back up, for the other back up
You simply have to have a few tools in your belt
Because some of the delivery apps have CRAPPY navigation
I like Uber's the best, wish they had more orders in my area

Nothing like the original Google GPS that is installed on your phone
But it does that screen rotate thing upon arrival
Always throws me off LOL

So I run google my maps when I drive
At night it's a necessity for me
It allows you to pin the address easily
And zoom in close, helps me a great deal
You know for those houses with no marker
Or areas where houses are close together

You can even put notes about an address
But my maps isn't good for sharing with people
Because others can accidentally move the location pins around
For apartments I run my personal GPS app that I made
Shows me where any unit number is in the apartment complex
You can use this tool, for a small fee of course

I talk with customer's every chance I get
And it's always late orders, cold food
Sometimes it's not even our fault
But customers are still paying the extra fees
15% of their order total to the app company
Maybe even a delivery fee to the app company
Then we expect a decent tip based on mileage

Buddy, that food better have smoke coming off of it
When you drop it at my door
It's on us as a group to fix things

In theory when service is consistently awesome
Tips should be more routine, and bigger

I'm working with customers
So they understand the hurdles we face

Even us top level drivers
Have those occasional 3 stars
Or even a random 1 star

Customers don't know this
Driver you may not even know this

The App Platforms
DO NOT SHOW US COMMENTS
That have a 4 star or lower rating

Seems foolish of the company right
But they do it to protect customer privacy
We know there are those RARE few drivers
That would get mad and go back to the house

You may have accepted an order that had a big problem
Driver before you canceled 20 minutes into the delivery

Tired of waiting at Sonic 30 minutes for just a Sonic Blast LOL
Maybe a restaurant forgot a few items
The app dispatches it as a new delivery
But now it has no tip attached
So most of us ignore it cause the pay sucks
You finally accept it, but it's already 20 minutes old

Everybody has had pizza delivered at some point
When did the pizza driver EVER show up without a hot bag
That's right LIKE NEVER

Customers get hit hard sometimes with fees and extras
And on top of that we want a fat tip
But some of you can't even be bothered to use a hot bag

That one bag provided by the company
WILL NOT BE ENOUGH
You will HAVE to make a minor investment
Go on Amazon and get some hot bags
Get a little creative and make a heated bag
I have a kit that I sell makes it super easier
If your intro text to your customer mentions your heated bag
Your tips will increase
You do have your pre typed text message game on point right?

I know it impacts your acceptance rate if you decline them
But some companies don't adjust your deliver by times
So you run the risk of lowering your on time percentage
You also run the risk of customers giving you a low star rating
They just know it took long, they don't care why

Many times the add ons offered by these apps
Don't give you enough time to complete the deliveries

Sometimes they are in the complete opposite directions
Or the second order is at one of those notoriously late merchants

You're a independent contractor so handle things your way
But long delivery times make for unhappy customers
And that impacts everybody in the long run

Some doors open outwards
Mainly those metal screen doors
Be mindful of which way the door opens
If you set a drink touching the door
How are they suppose to open it

It's OK to set the food a little ways away from the door