Reddit Claims This Reported DoorDash Scam Is More Common Than You'd Think
To some of us, DoorDash is an easy way to grab a bite to eat without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. To others, it's a way to earn a couple bucks just by delivering McDonald's or Chipotle around town. But to some people, there's some healthy distrust towards the mobile delivery company. The concept of paying for your food online and then expecting a total stranger to deliver it to you may not sound like the most stable of business models. DoorDash is the current leader of food delivery in the United States (via Business of Apps), so you may naturally assume that the app's popularity means that it's safe enough to order from without trouble. While that is the case for the majority of the time, just because the system is popular doesn't mean that it's always trustworthy.
If you've been around the internet long enough, you may hear horror stories about missing Doordash orders or people pretending to be the customer stealing food. Even worse, it may be the drivers themselves you may have to be wary off. A DoorDash worker in California was caught stealing packages (via Daily Mail), while a Michigan DoorDash driver even stole a family's 8-week-old puppy during a delivery — the dog, if you were wondering, was safely recovered (via WXYZ Detroit). But some scams may not be obvious at first. According to some Redditors, there's a scheme that may your driver feeling full and you out of food and money.
DoorDash drivers may trick you
On the subreddit r/DoorDash, user "appulfox" posted a text conversation between them and their DoorDash driver. Across an 18 minute timespan, "appulfox" was caught in a bizarre situation. Someone had apparently stolen their Wendy's order at the restaurant by pretending to be them and the driver was unable to pick it up. When a new order was made, the driver sent a picture of the food and dropped the order off at the user's apartment. "Appulfox" didn't see the order, however, and seemed unable to get an answer from the driver as to where exactly they dropped it off.
A very confusing situation to be sure. According to most users, "appulfox" was the target of a theft. The driver had simply lied that the food was stolen and taken the order for herself. This act is unfortunately not an uncommon occurrence in the DoorDash industry.
"People DO steal orders, but only the Dashers can tell if that's the case," explained one user. "Typically if an order is already late and the restaurant reports it as picked up, chances are high the previous dasher took it." Another user claimed this happened to their sister, with the driver claiming that the food had been dropped off and sending a picture of their leg as "proof."
Although DoorDash has a list of extensive regulations and rules to ensure integrity and trust among patrons and drivers, it's an unfortunate fact that some people aren't willing to follow those rules.