DoorDash Says Cheap Customers Who Don't Tip Could Wait Longer For Their Food
Earlier this year, a DoorDash driver was caught by a Ring camera spitting on a customer's food after receiving a $3 tip. And while that should be a warning enough, the food-delivery platform is now telling customers who don't tip that they may face longer wait times for their food.
According to CBS News, an in-app alert will now pop up for users that skip the tip. "Orders with no tip might take longer to get delivered—are you sure you want to continue? Orders that take longer to be accepted by Dashers tend to result in slower delivery."
This is because DoorDash allows drivers the discretion to choose which orders they accept, so naturally they would prioritize orders from customers who tip.
"This reminder screen is something that we're currently testing to help create the best possible experience for all members of our community," a spokesperson for the company told CBS MoneyWatch on Wednesday.
And, apparently, it's working. DoorDash has seen a substantial decline in $0 tip orders since testing the reminder message.
Delivery drivers can "accept or reject offers based on what they view as valuable and rewarding," the spokesperson continued. "While the vast majority of customers do leave a tip, offers that don't include a tip can be seen as less desirable—this impacts our entire community, leading to longer wait times for customers, orders sitting longer at merchants, and less value for Dashers."
In 2019, DoorDash faced controversy for not awarding drivers customers' tips directly; at the time, they only offered a guaranteed base pay.
"We thought we were doing the right thing by making Dashers whole when a customer left no tip," CEO Tony Xu said on social media at the time. "What we missed was that some customers who did tip would feel like their tip didn't matter."
Just earlier this week, the food-delivery app Grubhub faced a scandal of its own when a customer received a "warm cup of urine" in place of the Chick-fil-A milkshake he ordered.
"We took immediate action with the driver and ended his contract with us," the company said in a statement. "We’re following up with the customer to apologize and are coaching the representative who was previously in touch with the customer."
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