Viewers are warning Instacart shoppers not to buy gift cards for customers after one worker’s account was deactivated and flagged as fraudulent for doing just that.
“Instacart fired me today, and they fired me for fraud,” says Kira (@kiraplustwo), an Instacart shopper.
In the viral video, Kira explains that while she was completing an order at Publix, the customer she was shopping for reached out to her and questioned if Kira wasn’t getting her messages (which she wasn’t) and asked if Kira could call her.
Over the phone, the woman asked Kira to pick up a $100 Visa gift card for her daughter’s birthday—that’s where the problem started, commenters say.
Other Instacart workers in the comments shared that shoppers should never pick up an item for a customer if it’s not explicitly listed in their order (which they’re often able to update), especially not gift cards.
“Don’t eva buy gift cards if it’s not on the app added I can’t do it,” a person said.
“I had an order like that but they wanted an Uber card. I called instacart to verify they said we can’t purchase gift cards,” another shared.
But Kira didn’t know about this rule and didn’t think much of it, since the order included flowers and a cake, among other celebration-related groceries.
Since her local Publix no longer sold $100 Visa gift cards, Kira and the customer agreed on a $100 Amazon card.
Everything went smoothly with the delivery orders, so Kira pulled over to Chick-fil-A to grab something to eat. That’s when she realized something was wrong. She was locked out of her Instacart account and couldn’t even access the customer service chat feature.
Kira says she was in tears because Instcart is one of her main sources of income. She was in a car accident last year that left her with a disability, so there are certain jobs she’s not able to do. And while she’s applied to desk and work-from-home jobs, she hasn’t landed one.
“I’m stressed out. Rent is due. My birthday is Saturday. Halloween is coming up and the kids want [costumes],” Kira explains.
Kira eventually got access to customer service, and they confirmed Kira’s excellent track record as a shopper. But they said her account was under investigation for fraud and couldn’t give her a timeline on when her account would be unlocked.
“I’m so tired and I’m frustrated,” Kira says in the clip. “… I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep relying on these companies.”
@kiraplustwo Its time to go harder #kiraplustwo #momvlog #blowthisupforme #familyvlog #instacart #instcartshopper #instacartfails ♬ original sound – Kira plus Two
The video has over 670,000 views and over 2,600 comments as of Tuesday morning.
“Tbh… i think the lady set you up, something like this happened to me. They are able to add stuff to the list while they are shopping so why didnt she,” a person said.
Several commenters offered Kira help to land a new job and pointed out that her Instacart work counted as customer service experience.
The Daily Dot reached out to Kira via TikTok direct message and to Instacart via email.
