A driver claims DoorDash asked her to pay for an order out of her own pocket, and then they would reimburse her.
Jen (@see_you_at_thicc45) explains what happened in a viral TikTok that 2.3 million views.
“DoorDash wants me, a single mom with literally $10 to my name, to come up with $300 to pay for this lady’s order and then they would reimburse me. Are you kidding me?” she says, speaking directly into the camera.
She then details the events that led to DoorDash making the unusual request.
“I went and shopped for two hours. A grocery order—75 items, $260. And when I go to pay for it with the DoorDash card that they give you to pay, it was declined. Cause DoorDash didn’t put enough money on it.”
Jen says that when she called DoorDash for help, the representative told her they would not be able to top up her card in that moment. Instead, the company expected the driver to cover the cost of the groceries, claiming that she would be reimbursed later.
The TikToker continues, “I had to un-assign it. And so, instead of getting the $30 for two hours of work, which isn’t even that great anyways, I got $10. $10! they gave me what they call ‘half pay.’”
What added to her frustration was that it wasn’t even an error on her behalf that culminated in the DoorDash card being declined. In fact, she reiterates, the opposite was true.
“It was their fault in the first place. I f*cking hate DoorDash,” she says at the end of her video.
How DoorDash drivers can claim reimbursement when they pay out-of-pocket
According to DoorDash’s website, drivers in Jen’s situation are expected to pay for the order with their own funds that are later reimbursed.
The support page states, “In the unlikely event your DoorDash Red Card isn’t accepted when you pay for an order, DoorDash will reimburse you if you pay for that order with cash or your personal card. This includes instances when a restaurant is cash only or if your Red Card has been broken or lost.”
Drivers also must fulfill certain conditions in order to be eligible for reimbursement. They cannot use the Red Card to pay for the order, and must report the payment to support within 24 hours. DoorDash delivery drivers must also provide specific details such as the date of the order, store name, and store address, and ensure this matches the customer’s order.
Finally, the company requires drivers to send “picture of the itemized receipt displaying the aforementioned info.
For drivers that don’t have a receipt, DoorDash says its Dashers can still get out-of-pocket money back. However, this also carries stipulations.
“We can only process a reimbursement for an order without a receipt if it is within 72 hours. And the store requires payment upon pickup, or in situations where your Red Card failed,” the website states.
TikTokers respond
Numerous users who responded to Jen’s TikTok decried DoorDash’s request, hurling criticism at the service.
One DoorDash customer noted, “What’s crazy is door dash makes me pay for my order before they process it. Like you took my money for my groceries so WHY are you asking the dasher to pay for my stuff.”
Another Dasher said that they never comply with these requests.
They wrote, “I always tell support that I don’t carry any other $ and I’m not going to take a penalty by unassigning. In under a minute their card magically works.”
“Everyone just needs to stop working/using DoorDash. I hear and see nothing but complaining. I’ve personally never used a delivery service like this,” someone else wrote.
“Instacart would never do that to you,” another user claimed.
One person decried the company’s entire whole business model, and called out gig economy companies on the whole.
“DoorDash and the rest of these delivery services have made Americans into modern day slaves. They actively take advantage of these independent contractors, utilizing their own equipment etc. it’s wild,” they wrote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to DoorDash and Jen via email for further comment.
@see_you_at_thicc45 FU DoorDash #doordashdriver #singlemom #working #gigworker #broke #doordash @DoorDash ♬ original sound – Jen 2.0
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