DoorDash is one of the leading food delivery apps in the US. They are responsible for bringing food to millions of people around the world every day.
Although having food delivered from your favorite restaurant directly to your door is convenient, the experience is sometimes less than stellar.
Whether it be expensive fees, cold food, or missing items, many people have had bad experiences with DoorDash. Sometimes, this can be better in some areas than others, but the nature of the service lends itself to less-than-optimal experiences.
Keep reading to find 3 reasons why DoorDash is not all it’s cracked up to be, as well as 3 reasons why we keep ordering anyway….
(Note: This is just an opinion piece of OUR complaints with DoorDash and is intended as constructive criticism. If you absolutely love DoorDash, we get it and we’re not judging you. In fact, even though we bash DoorDash here a bit, we… *ahem*…. still order from them an embarrassing amount…It’s a love/hate thing)
Reasons DoorDash Sucks
DoorDash is Expensive
If you’ve gone through the process of adding lots of items to your order, and then at checkout your total is just way higher than what you were expecting, you’re not alone.
The app has a habit of not showing you an accurate total until right before you confirm your order, and the fees and tips can quickly add up.
Deliveries Can Be Slow
Between the time it takes the restaurant to prepare your order, the driver to pick it up, and it to actually be dropped off, you can easily end up waiting hours for your food.
This gets worse if you order complicated dishes from far-away restaurants, or if you have to put up with the horror of on-foot deliveries.
The Food Sometimes Arrives Cold
Since delivery often takes quite a long time, the food is usually cold by the time it gets to you.
It’s so incredibly frustrating getting excited for some warm, crispy fries only to have them delivered cold and stale.
It’s just not the same.
If you order from somewhere close by, this is usually less of an issue. However, it often seems next to impossible to get a truly hot meal through DoorDash.
Perhaps this isn’t just a DoorDash problem and many delivery apps experience this issue.
However, we look forward to the days when deliveries always arrives warm. An investment in better insulation bags may just do the trick.
Some Dashers Can’t Follow Instructions
No shade to a lot of amazing 5-star dashers. But (and this is a BIG but….)
If you live in an apartment with a buzzer, or your front door is in a weird spot that people usually miss, then you’ve probably tried adding special instructions for your driver.
However, most of the time, the drivers don’t even bother reading the special instructions, or they follow them incorrectly.
There are times I’ve ordered to hotel rooms and asked them to bring it up only top have them leave it at the lobby and not notify me.
It may just be hotel policy, for which I can’t fault them.
However, letting me know via the chat where they left my food seems to be common sense for most delivery drivers and it hasn’t been the case with a couple of dashers, unfortunately.
Dashers Can Be Irresponsible
It’s not uncommon for DoorDash drivers to take on multiple orders at once through different delivery apps, greatly adding to the time it takes to complete your delivery.
You might also sometimes notice dashers showing up that don’t match their picture, or in vehicles that don’t match the one you were expecting.
There have even been some crazy reports where dashers will even eat your food and expect you not to notice!
Customer Service Can Be Greatly Improved
It can be difficult to contact DoorDash customer service at all, let alone get decent service out of them.
They are reported to treat customers like they have done something wrong, even when DoorDash is the one at fault.
They are also stingy with refunds, preferring to give credit on the app even if you no longer intend to use the service.
Customers Don’t Tip Well
DoorDash also sucks from the driver’s perspective.
The pay is known to be borderline abysmal, with much of the income relying on generous tips from customers. Unfortunately, customers rarely tip generously if they even tip at all.
A couple extra dollars goes a long way for DoorDash drivers, especially when they drive a long distance to bring you your food.
Gas Is Expensive
Delivering for DoorDash is known to be difficult in terms of earning decent money. Drivers often struggle to cover the cost of their own fuel.
This has gotten worse in recent years with inflation and the price of gas skyrocketing.
No Guaranteed Hourly Pay
DoorDash claims that their drivers make an average of $23 per hour, but for many people, the actual pay is not even close to that.
There is no guaranteed hourly wage, and the profitability for drivers is highly dependent on completing orders as frequently as possible.
Another big factor (as previously mentioned) is tips which is something driver have absolutely no control over. Whether customers do or don’t tip can be the biggest difference in a Dashers salary.
This makes the earnings on any given day unpredictable.
Restaurants Can Be Slow Preparing Food
This one affects both customers and drivers.
Some restaurants have trouble meeting demands when it comes to preparing their food, and the drivers often get blamed for the delay.
This can frequently result in cold food for the customer and poor tips for the driver.
And… Three Reasons We Still Go Back To DoorDash
It’s So Convenient
It’s hard to argue with convenience. Having food delivered from your favorite restaurant directly to your front door is just peak 21st century luxury.
It’s the main reason I barely leave my house. I mean… I have absolutely NO need anymore.
Between DoorDash, Amazon, and InstaCart – I’m set!
This is probably why DoorDash gets away with all of the stuff listed above; their service is just so damn easy and satisfying.
Easy To Earn Money On The Side
Despite difficulties for some drivers, DoorDash is still a decent way to earn money in your spare time.
Some driver report making more than $200 a day with DoorDash! That’s some serious pocket-money.
It can be even more profitable if you live in a city and can deliver on a bicycle without having to buy gas.
It’s such a quick and easy way to make a part-time (and even full-time) income for many!
DashPass Gives You Lots of Perks
If you’re willing to shell out for special treatment, the DashPass membership is more than worth it.
Although the membership requires a monthly fee, it lets you skip delivery fees and receive exclusive deals. If you order from DoorDash frequently, getting a subscription is an absolute no-brainer.
Want to learn more about DoorDash? Read these articles to learn what time does DoorDash open, does DoorDash deliver to hotels, and can you use a gift card on DoorDash.
Final Thoughts..
I get very frustrated and think DoorDash sucks sometimes, but in all honest the convenience and ability to make extra money whenever is a huge perk.
It’s easy to see the negative (cold food and slow deliveries) but ordering a pina colada from your bath tub just makes all the bad go away.