Nobody's Property Illustrated Series #92
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Why I Will NOT Confirm Pickup Until I Have Possession Of The Order When Dashing With DoorDash, but You Do You.
Many of you probably know that until Nobody’s Property and a few other online ventures I’m engaged in become my primary sources of income, and possibly even after, that I do gig work full-time, including DoorDash.
Anyone who has ever worked independently as a Dasher using the DoorDash platform for at least a month, has probably encountered one of those merchants at a pickup who plays the “Order Hostage” game, where they refuse to hand the order over to you unless you confirm pickup FIRST. Dashers are roughly 50/50 on whether or not you should ever confirm pickup on a DoorDash order before you have possession of it.
As a Dasher, you should do whatever works for you and not worry what others think. That said, as an occasional Dasher, I generally observe a strict policy that I will NOT confirm pickup on any order I do not already have possession of.
I get the story the “Order Hostage” merchants give you about why they ask you to do this, and it is absolutely true that many restaurants and other merchants who use the DoorDash platform have been screwed over by thieves in the past. However, the issues they’ve had were largely due to lax verification on THEIR end. Anyone who has ever picked up at any Chipotle in my area knows just how lax their pickup process is (literally dozens of orders on a shelf – and if someone else grabs it first, they’ll either just remake it or tell you someone else picked it up and ignore you until you leave.)
As a Dasher, and even on Grubhub – though it almost never comes up there, there are several important reasons I believe it is crucial never to confirm pickup until I actually have possession of the order for several important reasons:
1. Order Accuracy: If you Confirm pickup before actually having possession of the order, you run the risk of a Contract Violation if the restaurant discovers that they messed something up at any point between when you hit that button and they hand you the order. I’ve actually gotten burned with a Contract Violation for this, back when I actually would confirm pickup first when they asked. That is why, going forward, I will never confirm pickup until I have the order again, is that they may inadvertently have the wrong order, and not catch it until after you’ve confirmed pickup but BEFORE handing it to you.
2. Customer Satisfaction: Accurate and timely deliveries are essential for customer satisfaction. I’ve even encountered two restaurants won’t even start preparing the order unless you confirm pickup as soon as you arrive, whether the order is ready or not. This is absolutely not acceptable. I won’t even confirm pickup on a DoorDash order before it’s in my hand or insulated bag if it’s ready when I get there, let alone if they haven’t even started preparing it yet. That’s almost a guaranteed Contract Violation that Support won’t hear my appeal of, because after all “you confirmed pickup before you had it.” I don’t care if it’s a $20 order going half a mile. I’ve walked away from orders just like that because of a rude or demanding merchant. Customers expect their orders to be ready as soon as you arrive, and it's easy enough to get low Dasher ratings for things beyond control without you making matters worse for yourself. In currently five years as a Dasher as of this article, DoorDash Support has upheld every Contract Violation I ever got as a result of confirming pickup on an order I did not yet have possession of.
3. If you get a Contract Violation for being late, and you did not wait at least 11 minutes at the merchant for some reason, AND you confirmed pickup before you actually had the order, I can assure you that DoorDash support will uphold that Dasher Contract Violation EVERY SINGLE TIME you try to appeal it, even if something was found to be wrong with the order between when you confirmed and when you received the order. I’m actually pretty good at getting Contract Violations (even a couple I probably deserved) removed, but the best way to remove one is never to get a Contract Violation in the first place. Waiting until you have the order in your possession, per Dasher policy, at least according to every DoorDash support person I’ve ever talked to about the matter, ensures you can check its accuracy before accepting responsibility for it, and provides you the maximum protection from both Contract Violations for being late, and unwarranted one-star ratings from customers. DoorDash is generally surprisingly good at removing ridiculous one-star ratings as long as you follow Dasher policy, but if you’re not following DoorDash policy, expect them to stick.
4. They Don’t Even Need To Ask. If they’re looking at their screen, they know it’s you the minute you show up. They get a photo of you. Also, even if you do take off with the order, all they have to do is contact support. They just don’t want to because it’s a process. It comes down to laziness. I will not make my life harder to support someone else’s laziness – unless I’m getting paid decently to.
Nobody's Property illustrated series is published on nobodysproperty.com by Blake Hutchison dba Sansevieria Media. All rights reserved.
© Nobody's Property Illustrated Series, copyright 2018- | all rights reserved. This illustrated series is for entertainment purposes only. Please do not attempt any homicidal, vigilante, or other illegal acts.