DoorDash offers drivers two ways to earn money. First, they can earn money from individual orders. In this option, drivers are presented with an order and an amount they’ll get paid for it, allowing them to curate their delivery selection and have a better idea of how much money they’ll actually earn.
Second, drivers can utilize what the company calls “Earn by Time Mode.” With this option, drivers are guaranteed a certain amount for the amount of time an order takes. For example, if a restaurant takes longer to prepare an item than expected, or if a Dasher gets caught in traffic, they will be compensated for the amount of time they spend on the delivery.
While the latter option sounds nice, some drivers have reported issues using the service. For example, one user claimed that orders were being prioritized for Earn by Time mode rather than “Earn Per Order,” DoorDash’s original mode.
Additionally, DoorDash itself seems to warn that using Earn by Time Mode may result in fewer tips, writing, “The guaranteed hourly rate shown upfront takes into account that tips may be less frequent or vary when you choose to earn by time.”
This appears to be the case, according to TikTok user @doordashdadannarbor.
@doordashdadannarbor ♬ original sound – bry
In a video with over 51,000 views, the TikToker says that every order he picked up using Earn by Time mode came with zero tips.
“Thats how they get ya!!” he wrote in the caption.
In the comments section, users shared their own experiences using Earn by Time mode.
“If you do hourly, they purposely send you all the bad orders,” claimed a user.
“I tried it once for 2 hours when it came out and was like nah that’s not for me,” offered another.
“Never choose hourly,” advised a third. “I can easily make 30+ in an hour.”
“Moved to a different state and was so excited at first for pay by hour… learned real quick,” recalled an additional TikToker.
Still, some users suggested that the true problem was not with non-tippers, but with the service itself.
“Blame dash not the consumer,” stated a commenter.
The Daily Dot reached out to the @doordashdadannarbor via TikTok comment and DoorDash via email.
