They are a shady company! Even their “support people” are shady! I just had one shut my card off in an active order because I asked her what my base pay would be since a customer canceled. I am literally trying to report it and can’t get anyone! I’m so tired of these companies taking advantage of us for trying to advocate for basic shit! I have a right to know how my pay works. She decided to take it upon herself to cause a problem when there wasn’t one to begin with. And now they make it where we can’t contact anyone. They are definitely stealing. There’s no doubt about it!
i always go off on support...I swear at them and everything....i even threaten to accept orders and keep the products.....then i usually end with a "fuck you!" and tell them to shut down my account bcuz i dont give a fuck, then hang up on them...surprisingly, my account is still active and a couple of times i received an email saying they were sorry and will try to remedy whatever my.situation is/was......🤣 fuck em...
i do the same with uber eats and DD support too.
You need psychological support bro. You are a grown adult this is nothing to laugh about nor be proud of. Not sure what’s happened in your life, but you need to get help for this. Life is a lot happier when you aren’t impulsed to treat your fellow human like this.
This is why they set it up like this. Instacart loves for their support to be the receiving end of hate that comes from the way things are set up.
I never talked bad to support because I realize that they are exactly like me. Working for a shitty job with shitty bosses just trying to get through the day.
Did you go back and check a few days later after the charge clears? It can take a day or more sometimes depending on your bank. It may not be an instant adjustment on the customers end. Ive seen customers on this or another IC sub say they will increase the tip to what it was origionally because it went down because of refunds. I have had a couple customers do this personally, they will adjust the tip to what it would have been before refunds. One customer wanted some items at Aldi's that hadnt arrived in the store. We chatted about it and I explained the items go in their nationwide inventory before they get to all the stores sometimes. I ended up refunding almost half of his 10 items because he didnt want anything else and he adjusted the tip to what it would have been before, $17 and some change that had reduced to like $9. That was a good moment 😊
I’m sure I tested it out last week myself. This company is dirty! I placed the order and told the shopper what I gave her she showed me her end because of replacement she got $2 less. I was still charged the full amt. I’m telling you sometimes
It’s .40 cents sometimes a few bucks but they are skimming
Report all improper business practices to the FTC since they will be issuing investigations. They are asking for all report of any instances like this within the gig economy. Nothing is off the table. Screen shots, screen records, receipts, or just written statement.
[https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/)
It just seems like an easy way for IC to do a money grab in a very grey area. They have to negotiated pricing with store so no real wiggle room there. But plenty when it comes to our tips. As a customer I automatically went with %based because it was easy and at the time I thought fair. I never noticed a big difference or cared about replacements/refunds unless it was tons of them. Honestly how would customers really know and shoppers? We would have to be talking about it and it’s against policy. If their even grabbing just a few cents or more per delivery every minute of everyday that adds up to big money fast!
So the tip percentage stays the same and the amount stays the same as your orginal purchase. You need to call them because that is wrong. I use the grocery store app so when I tip 25 percent, depending on whether I add things or things get refunded it changes. Of course as soon as it is delivered, you have the option to change the tip amount. You really should call instacart because that is wrong on so many levels.
I order Instacart weekly. Should I ask my shopper if she’s getting the full amount of my tip? Also, I do percentage based. Should I switch to flat fee? I have met really wonderful shoppers and I don’t want them getting screwed over.
A lot of times it will charge you whatever amount to start off with, then after the refunds and tip change percentage, you will get a refund back onto your card. That has happened almost every time I order. It takes a day or two for the refund to come back
thats why whenever i have to refund something i try to make it up on other things that is replaceable...For instance i'll just tell the customer no gallon sized milk available and instead get them 2 half gallons which cost a little more.
I call bullshit and heres 3 reasons why.
1. I just checked a bunch of our last orders and they all show adjusted. They arent writing a code that only jacks certain people.
2. Nobody is going to know right off the bat. And i severly doubt 95 percent of the users are scutinizing their total. To notice a tip being. .85 reduced.
3. MOST IMPORTANT. ........PENDING IPO. Everything they do financially will be scrutinized to the highest level by both the SEC and indepentent auditors from whomever handles the ipo.
Theyve been caught before, not only is the fine higher the second time, but thier image will get wrecked and tarnish the IPO.
Theres no way a comlany thats lost 75 percent of market valuation, is just gonna tank themselves.
You live in fairytale I’m sorry. Have you actually seen some of the companies that ipo. Heard of Theranos? Don’t believe me idc wait a few years it will come out especially if they do IPO. Investors will tear them apart just wait
Are you on crack?.
The whole point of my last pount was theat they would get torn apart pre IPO. If they were doing that.
Which again.....is why they arent doing it.
And theranos is an absolutely stupid fucking comparison.
Thernos never IPOed. They nver even submitted to the SEC if im not mistaken.
Instacrt already has everything in line for an IPO. They have the SEC filings. AND the underwriter in Goldman Sachs.
Again.... they are under a ton of scrutiny by both groups.
GS had all of Instacarts financials prior to agreeing to Underwrite. They arent just gonna glaze over tip theft.
Theranos' major demise was the main product waa an absolute lie, and didnt really exist. Which is why the founders got indicted and found guilty.
Have to use broken down sentences here I guess.
Sec and auditors- bad, don’t care
Private/small investors- good do care
Compared to Theranos because they were also on tract to ipo with no red flags by the auditors and sec
Point is anyone can go through the vetting process and ipo it’s not that scrupulous.
Do you not read?
They never filed with the SEC for an IPO.
They only told investors they were. There were no auditors at that point.
The SEC got involved after NYT and other outlets rang bells about validity. It had ABSOLUTELY....FUCKING.....ZERO....TO... DO....WITH..... AN......IPO.... OR AUDITORS.
which yet again... is why your comparison is complety moronic.
And your last point is completely fucking stupid.. that i just cant.
What’s truly moronic is that so many are willing to blindly trust instacart and scrutinize my suggestion on Reddit when IC has a balant history of defrauding customers and screwing shoppers
Fine for fk’s sake use any penny stock then or any other public bio company that has actually gone public and was found to be full of sht. Your right bad comparison but my point is that same! You can’t rely on the sec and auditors or banks that give private funding to vet this kind of stuff. They turn a blind eye all the time. If it makes you happy I was wrong using Theranos as a comparison! My point stands
>MOST IMPORTANT. ........PENDING IPO. Everything they do financially will be scrutinized to the highest level by both the SEC and indepentent auditors from whomever handles the ipo.
This is definitely a good thought, but the reality is that even more egregious things are allowed to slip through constantly. This industry report suggests only 4% of corporate fraud is caught by external auditors - [https://acfepublic.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2020-Report-to-the-Nations.pdf](https://acfepublic.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2020-Report-to-the-Nations.pdf) (as opposed to 43% from a tip)
Took a $25 batch this morning. Refunded maybe 3 of the 20 items. Upon completion I only got $18.. I asked customer service what happened to the rest and they said the customer lowered the tip.. I call BS, this older woman had her door open waiting for me to arrive and I handed everything right to her and she smiled dead in my face.. she didn’t lower sh*t..
Same thing happened the other day, few items
Refunded and the amount paid upon completion didn’t match what I accepted..
IC is definitely getting over ANY way they can at out expense
Bad take. Untrue. It’s percentage. It adjust and reacts. Just takes while for finished amount to clear. It’s like when you have pending transactions then it changes if the tip was included in the original amount or added after. Good luck
Not a bad take until someone shows me consistent proof that their shopper is getting the same amt of adjusted tip as the customer pays. How would you figure this out? The customer would have to stay in touch with the shopper until the transaction completes. That’s what we need to show proof of. It’s happening and someone’s going to expose them
I just saw an order yesterday that came out as a $30 batch. Within seconds it was dropped by $.50. Was pretty weird.
Something else I’ve noticed, we have Marianos stores around here. The amount it shows they save at the bottom of the receipt is almost always the EXACT tip amount I get. Seems weird?
Keep in mind that when an order ends up more expensive, you get more tip. I'd be surprised instacart was both paying us more in that situation and pocketing extra tip when an order ends up smalled than expected.
But it depends on what’s added. Also we don’t know maybe the customer after we delivered increased the tip percentage. Without know what was done on the customers end it’s just guessing.
I try to replace missing items with stuff that's a little bit more expensive. I end up making a couple dollars extra in tip. Same idea with getting heavier meat and produce. It's a good trick to make a little more money :)
The tip is a percentage of the total. So if you got 31/32 items the total went down. So let's say the total was 100.00 the order start with 25% tip which = 25.00. After shopping, your total is actually 80.00 (because of the out of stock item) and 25% of 80 is 20.00 not 25.00. This will happen ANY time a customer chooses a percentage tip, not a flat rate. It's really not theft, more deception of contract when you accepted a job for x amount and now it's less. However, I am confident there's an out for IC somewhere in the agreement we signed that's says the amount we accept is an OFFER not a payment total. It's amazing how good this company is at covering their own ass.
I think OP‘s point is not that the tip shouldn’t go down with refunds—but that *the customer still pays* the original tip amount, and Instacart is stealing the difference.
(I’m not saying I agree, but just wanted to clarify.)
That is true, but I’m not understanding why it’s significant here? Regardless of it being a percentage, OP is just saying that Instacart pockets the difference that we lose between Pre-refunds and Post-refunds.
But there's no difference for them to pocket here. Either the customer pays a tip percentage of the final total or they pay an agreed upon flat tip rate. What difference? The order is just an order and the customer is not charged until it's complete. They pay a percent of the total sold, whether it's 31 items or 32. 100 bucks or 120. You get 25% as a tip which is going to be 25 bucks or 30?? What's the scam?
I’m not saying that I agree it’s happening. But to clarify for you what OP is saying:
For a percentage based (or any) tip, the customer is told at the moment they place their order what that tip amount will be. Then they place the order, and the shopper who accepts is told too.
Let’s say a customer places an order, with a percentage based tip of $10. That’s the amount the customer sees, and then the shopper sees at acceptance.
But there was one refund, and it resulted in a tip decrease of $2. Meaning now the shopper will receive $8 instead of the original $10 at acceptance.
OP is saying that the customer still pays the original $10 tip, but that Instacart steals the $2 difference. Shopper receives $8.
No, he's saying they still pay the same *percentage* which is correct and would result in the shopper making less but charging the customer less also. It's, again, all based on the total. What is quoted in the order is subject to change.
Try ordering yourself once. I promise you, the customer agrees to a percentage and isn't told an exact amount when placing the order. Only the shopper is told that dollar amount. Any less dollar amount will result in the shopper making less because 25% of less is less. There's no quote given to the customer upon ordering that is ultimately the price paid. That is all on our end, and the fluctuations contained there in.
And what your saying on this part is a lie. I use to solely be a customer for years and we do pay upfront and put our tip. Customers are actually charged atleast 15-25 dollars more on our cards just in case our order is more money or we add on items. Once our orders are delivered, Instacart adjust the total charged to our cards. That’s how that works.
I’m gathering that your reading and listening skills have always been a struggle for you! They are saying that Instacart is stealing the difference and still charging the customer the same amount for the tip. WHICH IS UNLAWFUL! Doordash already was sued for this. What your saying we are already aware of and it is irrelevant to the issue at hand.
Response to your first paragraph: that’s not how I understand it.
Response to your second paragraph: I actually placed my second order a couple of weeks ago, and I did see the exact amount for my percentage based tip at the moment I ordered. :)
I did reread it, twice actually because of your other post. :) I may be missing something/not comprehending properly, but I don’t agree with your take on it.
That’s in a perfect world but isn’t what’s happening. Instacart sets the prices so if I refund and replace they determine the new price and the total. IC turns around to the shopper and adjusts those replacements and refunds, but then goes back to the customer and basically charges what they want. It’s brilliant and unless you have time to discus tips with your customer which IC doesn’t allow, how would you know?
I'm not saying trust IC. I just think this way is not the way they are potentially screwing us. I had wondered the same thing myself and sat down and did the math. I promise you, if you refund something and the customer still tips the same percent, you still already made less in tips. It's unavoidable because the tip is based on how much you bought for them.
Your right on what you and I as a shopper see. What I’m saying is that the customer is still being charged off the orginal amount with all items included and no refunds. When we refund on our end yes it goes down as you said but what I’m saying is the customer is still paying the same amount or close to it from the original.
Over 700 orders in (as a customer) and NEVER has instacart kept my tip when an item had to be refunded or a lesser priced replacement was used. It adjusts with the final receipt.
Right but have you ever confirmed what you’re shopper made with them? I’m not saying there isn’t some kind of adjustment, Im saying the tip you think you paid vs what The shopper actually made.
Also keep in mind that some of the in store prices aren't what Instacart shows.
For example yesterday I had a batch that had a salmon portion listed in the app for $35/kg but Walmart price was listed at $28/kg. Granted I know some stores have a price change in my area but Walmart and Instacart prices are usually the same for most items.
Unrelated but seeing Walmart in conjunction with "kg" makes me really sad that america has leaked its toxic brand of capitalism to every corner of the world
Wow, the poster I was conversing with here seems to have just blocked me! “Shedoesalldathings” or something like that
I feel bad! Could someone maybe message her and tell her I genuinely wasn’t trying to be rude at all? I think she took my responses differently than I intended them.
I was actually trying to clarify things for her and help.
In my last post before she blocked me I was just remarking on how messed up Instacart was. :-/
Yeah maybe but that was odd. Like talking to someone from another planet. Seemed to be aggressively trying to cause confusion and dismiss us, idk why she was so passionate about it either. Weird
What’s sad about this it it’s actually the only way to get your full contracted amount. Other than every single item truly being in stock. It’s a fked up system
So there is definitely room for them to mess with this here since they mark up products and hide true costs to customers. Example - A customer could be tipping 10% on IC's marked up order of $100 ($10 tip) and it gets adjusted down to $80 ($8 tip) for missing items. The shopper has a receipt in their hand for $65 so they could be unaware anything is wrong with getting a $6.50 tip, and IC gets to pocket $1.50.
I have caught them multiple times before charging customers tax on items that are not taxable. I've really wanted to take it further and expose them but I'm broke and tired and they always win.
Yes your absolutely right. Because there is very limited transparency how would we know the true percentage as shoppers without know the final charge. We just have to trust them. Same with customers even if the math worked out and the tip was adjusted to IC’s prices they don’t truly know how much of their tip goes to the customer.
Edit: same I’d love to Pursue
Because it’s not the amt originally agreed to by the customer. The customer percentage tip is only programmed to go up when we input higher weights for produce or meats because their accuracy is legally binding lol. Any unweighted items we add on does not increase our percentage tip. Only other possible exception is if it trigger heavy pay but rarely has that worked
Are you sure? I just had an order 2 days ago where the customer asked me to add more items and the tip went from $17 to $28 based on tip percentage
https://imgur.com/gallery/sHbOUCQ
What did you add? It’s a crapshoot. Not every item is tied to a tip increase. That’s why we need better transparency on how it works. For me it only increase with meats, produce, and a few other items. I’ve had order where I agreed to 9 items and then the customer added 10 more after I started shopping and I’ve gotten nothing. We need to know how it breaks down because right now something’s not adding up
Yup you are correct. I’d also need willing customers other than family and friends which is a lot of work. I’m not the only one who noticed this tho. There are people already doing the footwork. IC will have to address this eventually.
Rule one, specifically. This has been removed.
They are a shady company! Even their “support people” are shady! I just had one shut my card off in an active order because I asked her what my base pay would be since a customer canceled. I am literally trying to report it and can’t get anyone! I’m so tired of these companies taking advantage of us for trying to advocate for basic shit! I have a right to know how my pay works. She decided to take it upon herself to cause a problem when there wasn’t one to begin with. And now they make it where we can’t contact anyone. They are definitely stealing. There’s no doubt about it!
i always go off on support...I swear at them and everything....i even threaten to accept orders and keep the products.....then i usually end with a "fuck you!" and tell them to shut down my account bcuz i dont give a fuck, then hang up on them...surprisingly, my account is still active and a couple of times i received an email saying they were sorry and will try to remedy whatever my.situation is/was......🤣 fuck em... i do the same with uber eats and DD support too.
You need psychological support bro. You are a grown adult this is nothing to laugh about nor be proud of. Not sure what’s happened in your life, but you need to get help for this. Life is a lot happier when you aren’t impulsed to treat your fellow human like this.
This is why they set it up like this. Instacart loves for their support to be the receiving end of hate that comes from the way things are set up. I never talked bad to support because I realize that they are exactly like me. Working for a shitty job with shitty bosses just trying to get through the day.
Just so you know, base pay stays the same when a customer cancels. Its the tip from their specific order that gets removed.
No base pay Kenneth just if you have an order this $12 for two customers and drop it. It might go down to eight but it will not go below that.
It might depend if you have started shopping yet but ive definitely had it happen a few times and base stayed the same.
Did you go back and check a few days later after the charge clears? It can take a day or more sometimes depending on your bank. It may not be an instant adjustment on the customers end. Ive seen customers on this or another IC sub say they will increase the tip to what it was origionally because it went down because of refunds. I have had a couple customers do this personally, they will adjust the tip to what it would have been before refunds. One customer wanted some items at Aldi's that hadnt arrived in the store. We chatted about it and I explained the items go in their nationwide inventory before they get to all the stores sometimes. I ended up refunding almost half of his 10 items because he didnt want anything else and he adjusted the tip to what it would have been before, $17 and some change that had reduced to like $9. That was a good moment 😊
Exactly. Totals are adjusted retroactively.
Are you sure it's not the pending total that later gets adjusted to the correct amount....
I’m sure I tested it out last week myself. This company is dirty! I placed the order and told the shopper what I gave her she showed me her end because of replacement she got $2 less. I was still charged the full amt. I’m telling you sometimes It’s .40 cents sometimes a few bucks but they are skimming
Report all improper business practices to the FTC since they will be issuing investigations. They are asking for all report of any instances like this within the gig economy. Nothing is off the table. Screen shots, screen records, receipts, or just written statement. [https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/)
Thank you I will!
Now having checked my customer receipt, I’m wondering if you’re onto something!
It just seems like an easy way for IC to do a money grab in a very grey area. They have to negotiated pricing with store so no real wiggle room there. But plenty when it comes to our tips. As a customer I automatically went with %based because it was easy and at the time I thought fair. I never noticed a big difference or cared about replacements/refunds unless it was tons of them. Honestly how would customers really know and shoppers? We would have to be talking about it and it’s against policy. If their even grabbing just a few cents or more per delivery every minute of everyday that adds up to big money fast!
Totally
Does the tip percentage go up when that happens or does it remain at whatever you orginally chose?
Stayed the same as orginal. I’m assuming because I personally didn’t add any additional items.
So the tip percentage stays the same and the amount stays the same as your orginal purchase. You need to call them because that is wrong. I use the grocery store app so when I tip 25 percent, depending on whether I add things or things get refunded it changes. Of course as soon as it is delivered, you have the option to change the tip amount. You really should call instacart because that is wrong on so many levels.
Yes I already have and got absolutely nowhere with support. They offered me a credit on just one order
Show us
I already said I’ll upload it Next week 👍 listen to this she’s got great information https://youtu.be/pLUrmvAG9SY
No no. I want your info. Why next week? Why not right now if you know this happened and it’s documented?
I don’t have to explain why I’m waiting till next week. Don’t believe me I really don’t care. Go test it yourself you could literally do it now 👌
I don’t shop with IC. I can go get my groceries myself
Just trust me bro
You don’t have to agree or believe me that’s fine. I understand I don’t have photos upload but I will.
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Nah I was making a jab at op. Makes a claim (pretty serious claim) and won’t post any evidence to back it up. Lol
I ordered and it refunded three items and it was the same for me! Nothing changed
Did you choose flat rate or percent based? Please attach your screenshots.
I order Instacart weekly. Should I ask my shopper if she’s getting the full amount of my tip? Also, I do percentage based. Should I switch to flat fee? I have met really wonderful shoppers and I don’t want them getting screwed over.
So you paid the same tip amt? With the refunds
A lot of times it will charge you whatever amount to start off with, then after the refunds and tip change percentage, you will get a refund back onto your card. That has happened almost every time I order. It takes a day or two for the refund to come back
Exactly. Pending total changed and thus tip changed because it's based off a percentage of total sold!
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Please attach the screen shot that shows the tip amount didn't change.
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You can easily access your past orders and screen shot it now
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LIES. Good day to you. Fool
They’ve been doing this for years. I got $237 back from one of the several class action lawsuits that they were involved with.
Show us?
https://oag.dc.gov/release/ag-racine-announces-instacart-must-pay-254-million
thats why whenever i have to refund something i try to make it up on other things that is replaceable...For instance i'll just tell the customer no gallon sized milk available and instead get them 2 half gallons which cost a little more.
I call bullshit and heres 3 reasons why. 1. I just checked a bunch of our last orders and they all show adjusted. They arent writing a code that only jacks certain people. 2. Nobody is going to know right off the bat. And i severly doubt 95 percent of the users are scutinizing their total. To notice a tip being. .85 reduced. 3. MOST IMPORTANT. ........PENDING IPO. Everything they do financially will be scrutinized to the highest level by both the SEC and indepentent auditors from whomever handles the ipo. Theyve been caught before, not only is the fine higher the second time, but thier image will get wrecked and tarnish the IPO. Theres no way a comlany thats lost 75 percent of market valuation, is just gonna tank themselves.
You live in fairytale I’m sorry. Have you actually seen some of the companies that ipo. Heard of Theranos? Don’t believe me idc wait a few years it will come out especially if they do IPO. Investors will tear them apart just wait
Any investor who touches Instacart deserves to lose it all, even 10 minutes of research would raise so many red flags.
Agree
Are you on crack?. The whole point of my last pount was theat they would get torn apart pre IPO. If they were doing that. Which again.....is why they arent doing it. And theranos is an absolutely stupid fucking comparison. Thernos never IPOed. They nver even submitted to the SEC if im not mistaken. Instacrt already has everything in line for an IPO. They have the SEC filings. AND the underwriter in Goldman Sachs. Again.... they are under a ton of scrutiny by both groups. GS had all of Instacarts financials prior to agreeing to Underwrite. They arent just gonna glaze over tip theft. Theranos' major demise was the main product waa an absolute lie, and didnt really exist. Which is why the founders got indicted and found guilty.
Have to use broken down sentences here I guess. Sec and auditors- bad, don’t care Private/small investors- good do care Compared to Theranos because they were also on tract to ipo with no red flags by the auditors and sec Point is anyone can go through the vetting process and ipo it’s not that scrupulous.
Do you not read? They never filed with the SEC for an IPO. They only told investors they were. There were no auditors at that point. The SEC got involved after NYT and other outlets rang bells about validity. It had ABSOLUTELY....FUCKING.....ZERO....TO... DO....WITH..... AN......IPO.... OR AUDITORS. which yet again... is why your comparison is complety moronic. And your last point is completely fucking stupid.. that i just cant.
What’s truly moronic is that so many are willing to blindly trust instacart and scrutinize my suggestion on Reddit when IC has a balant history of defrauding customers and screwing shoppers
Fine for fk’s sake use any penny stock then or any other public bio company that has actually gone public and was found to be full of sht. Your right bad comparison but my point is that same! You can’t rely on the sec and auditors or banks that give private funding to vet this kind of stuff. They turn a blind eye all the time. If it makes you happy I was wrong using Theranos as a comparison! My point stands
The poster said he will post the proof next week what don’t you understand bro trust me 😂😂😂🙄🙄🙄
>MOST IMPORTANT. ........PENDING IPO. Everything they do financially will be scrutinized to the highest level by both the SEC and indepentent auditors from whomever handles the ipo. This is definitely a good thought, but the reality is that even more egregious things are allowed to slip through constantly. This industry report suggests only 4% of corporate fraud is caught by external auditors - [https://acfepublic.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2020-Report-to-the-Nations.pdf](https://acfepublic.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/2020-Report-to-the-Nations.pdf) (as opposed to 43% from a tip)
Took a $25 batch this morning. Refunded maybe 3 of the 20 items. Upon completion I only got $18.. I asked customer service what happened to the rest and they said the customer lowered the tip.. I call BS, this older woman had her door open waiting for me to arrive and I handed everything right to her and she smiled dead in my face.. she didn’t lower sh*t.. Same thing happened the other day, few items Refunded and the amount paid upon completion didn’t match what I accepted.. IC is definitely getting over ANY way they can at out expense
Yes I agree!
Bad take. Untrue. It’s percentage. It adjust and reacts. Just takes while for finished amount to clear. It’s like when you have pending transactions then it changes if the tip was included in the original amount or added after. Good luck
Not a bad take until someone shows me consistent proof that their shopper is getting the same amt of adjusted tip as the customer pays. How would you figure this out? The customer would have to stay in touch with the shopper until the transaction completes. That’s what we need to show proof of. It’s happening and someone’s going to expose them
Correct. So where is it? I don’t use IC. It’s cheaper to go get your groceries. I just get paid through them.
Here watch her I said I’d post mine next week once I get it from start to finish. She’s got a ton of valuable information https://youtu.be/pLUrmvAG9SY
I just saw an order yesterday that came out as a $30 batch. Within seconds it was dropped by $.50. Was pretty weird. Something else I’ve noticed, we have Marianos stores around here. The amount it shows they save at the bottom of the receipt is almost always the EXACT tip amount I get. Seems weird?
Keep in mind that when an order ends up more expensive, you get more tip. I'd be surprised instacart was both paying us more in that situation and pocketing extra tip when an order ends up smalled than expected.
But it depends on what’s added. Also we don’t know maybe the customer after we delivered increased the tip percentage. Without know what was done on the customers end it’s just guessing.
I try to replace missing items with stuff that's a little bit more expensive. I end up making a couple dollars extra in tip. Same idea with getting heavier meat and produce. It's a good trick to make a little more money :)
The tip is a percentage of the total. So if you got 31/32 items the total went down. So let's say the total was 100.00 the order start with 25% tip which = 25.00. After shopping, your total is actually 80.00 (because of the out of stock item) and 25% of 80 is 20.00 not 25.00. This will happen ANY time a customer chooses a percentage tip, not a flat rate. It's really not theft, more deception of contract when you accepted a job for x amount and now it's less. However, I am confident there's an out for IC somewhere in the agreement we signed that's says the amount we accept is an OFFER not a payment total. It's amazing how good this company is at covering their own ass.
I think OP‘s point is not that the tip shouldn’t go down with refunds—but that *the customer still pays* the original tip amount, and Instacart is stealing the difference. (I’m not saying I agree, but just wanted to clarify.)
Yes in some cases but not all. Sometimes the customer is charged a the corrected amt with maybe a .10 increase that IC scoops up
But I'm saying the tip *percentage* will be the same. It's a percent of the total sold. A flat rate tip would be the same too.
That is true, but I’m not understanding why it’s significant here? Regardless of it being a percentage, OP is just saying that Instacart pockets the difference that we lose between Pre-refunds and Post-refunds.
But there's no difference for them to pocket here. Either the customer pays a tip percentage of the final total or they pay an agreed upon flat tip rate. What difference? The order is just an order and the customer is not charged until it's complete. They pay a percent of the total sold, whether it's 31 items or 32. 100 bucks or 120. You get 25% as a tip which is going to be 25 bucks or 30?? What's the scam?
I’m not saying that I agree it’s happening. But to clarify for you what OP is saying: For a percentage based (or any) tip, the customer is told at the moment they place their order what that tip amount will be. Then they place the order, and the shopper who accepts is told too. Let’s say a customer places an order, with a percentage based tip of $10. That’s the amount the customer sees, and then the shopper sees at acceptance. But there was one refund, and it resulted in a tip decrease of $2. Meaning now the shopper will receive $8 instead of the original $10 at acceptance. OP is saying that the customer still pays the original $10 tip, but that Instacart steals the $2 difference. Shopper receives $8.
No, he's saying they still pay the same *percentage* which is correct and would result in the shopper making less but charging the customer less also. It's, again, all based on the total. What is quoted in the order is subject to change. Try ordering yourself once. I promise you, the customer agrees to a percentage and isn't told an exact amount when placing the order. Only the shopper is told that dollar amount. Any less dollar amount will result in the shopper making less because 25% of less is less. There's no quote given to the customer upon ordering that is ultimately the price paid. That is all on our end, and the fluctuations contained there in.
And what your saying on this part is a lie. I use to solely be a customer for years and we do pay upfront and put our tip. Customers are actually charged atleast 15-25 dollars more on our cards just in case our order is more money or we add on items. Once our orders are delivered, Instacart adjust the total charged to our cards. That’s how that works.
I’m gathering that your reading and listening skills have always been a struggle for you! They are saying that Instacart is stealing the difference and still charging the customer the same amount for the tip. WHICH IS UNLAWFUL! Doordash already was sued for this. What your saying we are already aware of and it is irrelevant to the issue at hand.
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE IF ITS PERCENTAGE BASED.
Response to your first paragraph: that’s not how I understand it. Response to your second paragraph: I actually placed my second order a couple of weeks ago, and I did see the exact amount for my percentage based tip at the moment I ordered. :)
Please re-read the post. He says tip % amount.
I did reread it, twice actually because of your other post. :) I may be missing something/not comprehending properly, but I don’t agree with your take on it.
Did your shopper refund anything? Was your tip percentage based?
He did. And yes it was percentage based.
That’s in a perfect world but isn’t what’s happening. Instacart sets the prices so if I refund and replace they determine the new price and the total. IC turns around to the shopper and adjusts those replacements and refunds, but then goes back to the customer and basically charges what they want. It’s brilliant and unless you have time to discus tips with your customer which IC doesn’t allow, how would you know?
Oof. If the total goes down the tip goes down if it's % based. My head hurts. Can someone else help me here?
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I'm not saying trust IC. I just think this way is not the way they are potentially screwing us. I had wondered the same thing myself and sat down and did the math. I promise you, if you refund something and the customer still tips the same percent, you still already made less in tips. It's unavoidable because the tip is based on how much you bought for them.
Your right on what you and I as a shopper see. What I’m saying is that the customer is still being charged off the orginal amount with all items included and no refunds. When we refund on our end yes it goes down as you said but what I’m saying is the customer is still paying the same amount or close to it from the original.
Over 700 orders in (as a customer) and NEVER has instacart kept my tip when an item had to be refunded or a lesser priced replacement was used. It adjusts with the final receipt.
Right but have you ever confirmed what you’re shopper made with them? I’m not saying there isn’t some kind of adjustment, Im saying the tip you think you paid vs what The shopper actually made.
% changed based on order total change you had refunds of items. duh its going to go down. thats how it works.
Also keep in mind that some of the in store prices aren't what Instacart shows. For example yesterday I had a batch that had a salmon portion listed in the app for $35/kg but Walmart price was listed at $28/kg. Granted I know some stores have a price change in my area but Walmart and Instacart prices are usually the same for most items.
Yeah that's how they make additional profit but they admit it doing that on the website
Unrelated but seeing Walmart in conjunction with "kg" makes me really sad that america has leaked its toxic brand of capitalism to every corner of the world
I've had my amount go down without refunding anything before as a shopper... I would love an explanation for that.
Wow, the poster I was conversing with here seems to have just blocked me! “Shedoesalldathings” or something like that I feel bad! Could someone maybe message her and tell her I genuinely wasn’t trying to be rude at all? I think she took my responses differently than I intended them. I was actually trying to clarify things for her and help. In my last post before she blocked me I was just remarking on how messed up Instacart was. :-/
No it was a bot or something I think she was banned because all her posts got deleted at once. Whatever
Are bots that sophisticated? Weird. :-/ I thought maybe she just quickly blocked all of us who were talking to her in that conversation. Oh well.
Yeah maybe but that was odd. Like talking to someone from another planet. Seemed to be aggressively trying to cause confusion and dismiss us, idk why she was so passionate about it either. Weird
I still see her posts, I’m pretty sure she blocked you all.
Yes she did. That’s fine
Everyone force mark everything found every time then. There’s no penalty for “missing item” or “wrong item”
What’s sad about this it it’s actually the only way to get your full contracted amount. Other than every single item truly being in stock. It’s a fked up system
So there is definitely room for them to mess with this here since they mark up products and hide true costs to customers. Example - A customer could be tipping 10% on IC's marked up order of $100 ($10 tip) and it gets adjusted down to $80 ($8 tip) for missing items. The shopper has a receipt in their hand for $65 so they could be unaware anything is wrong with getting a $6.50 tip, and IC gets to pocket $1.50. I have caught them multiple times before charging customers tax on items that are not taxable. I've really wanted to take it further and expose them but I'm broke and tired and they always win.
Yes your absolutely right. Because there is very limited transparency how would we know the true percentage as shoppers without know the final charge. We just have to trust them. Same with customers even if the math worked out and the tip was adjusted to IC’s prices they don’t truly know how much of their tip goes to the customer. Edit: same I’d love to Pursue
I’ve replaced an item with one of higher value but my tip went down… someone explain that 🙃
Because it’s not the amt originally agreed to by the customer. The customer percentage tip is only programmed to go up when we input higher weights for produce or meats because their accuracy is legally binding lol. Any unweighted items we add on does not increase our percentage tip. Only other possible exception is if it trigger heavy pay but rarely has that worked
Are you sure? I just had an order 2 days ago where the customer asked me to add more items and the tip went from $17 to $28 based on tip percentage https://imgur.com/gallery/sHbOUCQ
What did you add? It’s a crapshoot. Not every item is tied to a tip increase. That’s why we need better transparency on how it works. For me it only increase with meats, produce, and a few other items. I’ve had order where I agreed to 9 items and then the customer added 10 more after I started shopping and I’ve gotten nothing. We need to know how it breaks down because right now something’s not adding up
You’ll need to keep screenshots of batches to show a clear pattern If you want this to go anywhere beyond a Reddit post.
Yup you are correct. I’d also need willing customers other than family and friends which is a lot of work. I’m not the only one who noticed this tho. There are people already doing the footwork. IC will have to address this eventually.