# Instacart’s New Policy To Combat Tip Baiting



## MHR (Jul 23, 2017)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...crack-down-tip-baiting-new-policy/3163331001/
*Instacart's latest policy will give you less time to change a tip after delivery*​
Instacart is revising it's tipping policy to keep users from taking advantage of the system by "tip baiting."

Tip baiting happens when a customer lures in a shopper by inputting a big tip then reducing the amount after the groceries are delivered. It's a tactic that's been deployed more often during the pandemic with more Americans avoiding trips to the grocery store.

Starting Monday, Instacart users have 24 hours after a delivery is made to withdraw tips. Before, customers had up to three days to rescind or alter them.

A full day is still generous by delivery service standards. Uber Eats lets users edit tips for up to one hour after orders arrive. Postmates gives users 10 hours to change tips.

Despite the bait-and-switch issue, Instacart shoppers are making more money from tips during the pandemic, the company said. And tip bating is a relatively rare occurrence.

Only 0.25% of orders had a tip adjusted after 24 hours and less than 0.5% of tips are removed entirely after groceries are delivered, Instacart said. Still, the company realizes "that it's disappointing for shoppers in the rare case that this happens," Instacart said.

The company has hired over 150,000 staffers because of the COVID-19 crisis as the service has gained popularity. Instacart connects customers with nearby personal shoppers who gather provisions at local grocery stores for home delivery.

But with the surge in usage has also come a few issues.

First, people complained about the lack of delivery slots available, while others claimed that personal shoppers are stealing groceries. Instacart has periodically rolled out new tools and features to help solve service issues.


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## Uber's Guber (Oct 22, 2017)

MHR said:


> Starting Monday, Instacart users have 24 hours after a delivery is made to withdraw tips. Before, customers had up to three days to rescind or alter them.


I'm pretty sure 24 hours is still ample time for scammers to scam. :rollseyes:


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## MHR (Jul 23, 2017)

Uber's Guber said:


> I'm pretty sure 24 hours is still ample for scammers to scam.


Good point.


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## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

I think they are doing this because they determined many pax were changing the tips a day or two later, when they thought the driver was less likely to notice it. Once the customers figure out the time has been shortened, I'm sure they will try and scam the driver sooner. If Instant Pay is available on Instacart, as a driver I would be screenshotting and cashing out as as soon as I get the tip.


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## MHR (Jul 23, 2017)

I wonder if Instacart tracks their customers who leave bad reviews and reverse tips on their drivers and ban them from using the platform you know, Iike Uber told us they would do to pax that made false allegations? 

Honestly, I don't know how the rating system works for Instacart, I hate grocery shopping on a good day, can't imagine shopping for someone else.


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## VanGuy (Feb 15, 2019)

MHR said:


> I wonder if Instacart tracks their customers who leave bad reviews and reverse tips on their drivers and ban them from using the platform you know, Iike Uber told us they would do to pax that made false allegations?
> 
> Honestly, I don't know how the rating system works for Instacart, I hate grocery shopping on a good day, can't imagine shopping for someone else.


It sucked. Stores I rarely shopped in personally. Food I'd never buy for myself so I had no idea where it might be. Bad layouts. 5 different locations for milk. **** almond milk btw.


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## Lissetti (Dec 20, 2016)

MHR said:


> I wonder if Instacart tracks their customers who leave bad reviews and reverse tips on their drivers and ban them from using the platform you know, Iike Uber told us they would do to pax that made false allegations?
> 
> Honestly, I don't know how the rating system works for Instacart, I hate grocery shopping on a good day, can't imagine shopping for someone else.


I'm watching my local news, (seeing what's left of the city after last night's riots and shootings &#128580 and this story just ran. They said that yes, Instacart is tracking customers and are going to eliminate people who are shown to be behaving in this manner.


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## k4ever (Oct 12, 2016)

Lissetti said:


> If Instant Pay is available on Instacart, as a driver I would be screenshotting and cashing out as as soon as I get the tip.


You can do that on Uber or Lyft, but I dont think you can do it on Instacart.

But seriously ... 24 HOURS?! What a joke, it wont make a difference at all.

Just take that option away. On Domino's, whatever the customer tipped before the order was delivered, is the final amount. If there is a problem with the order (item missing, wrong item, etc ...), the customer can call the store and management will fix the problem with them. Of course there can be drivers that are not doing their job properly, either on purpose or not, but those can be tracked and dealt with later. Same applies to customers that complain too much constantly.


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## evad77 (Oct 15, 2016)

after driver clicks order delivered the posted tip should be locked in,YOU ordered groceries for delivery and YOU received said delivery


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## MikeSki (Apr 2, 2020)

Order groceries, offer large tip, have a random psycho incapable of solving a problem without violence deliver said groceries to the place you sleep at night, then yank the tip? idk seems smart.


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## Tony73 (Oct 12, 2016)

Still not enough. I don’t know why these gig apps always come with loopholes so users can **** drivers. Uber is acting like we all should be getting to work, nothing done for our safety.


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## TheDevilisaParttimer (Jan 2, 2019)

What's gonna happen is personal shoppers are gonna start advertising their services on apps like thumbtack and cut Instacart out of the loop.

Just wait as out of work moms with a Minivan figure out they can triple their money by doing this and actually running it as their own business.


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## MikeSki (Apr 2, 2020)

my favorite is schedule early am pick up going to the airport, then change destination, after driver arrives, to your morning job at walmart 2 blocks away.


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## Cdub2k (Nov 22, 2017)

I signed up to shop over the pandemic but I've been a bit hesitant to get out there because of the tip baiting circus that has been reported. I might actually give this a go this weekend as well as food delivery. I was going to go out there last weekend but that wanna be Tropical Storm kept me at home.


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## KenLV (Jun 23, 2017)

I don't do Instacart, but as soon as I heard of this crap I had to ask...

"Don't these people realize that the person they just screwed over knows where they live?"

Sure, customers had up to 3 days to screw the shopper out of the agreed to tip, but the shopper has pretty much unlimited days to huck a rock through a window.

Just thinking out loud.


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## FormerTaxiDriver♧ (Apr 5, 2018)

MHR said:


> https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...crack-down-tip-baiting-new-policy/3163331001/
> *Instacart's latest policy will give you less time to change a tip after delivery*​
> Instacart is revising it's tipping policy to keep users from taking advantage of the system by "tip baiting."
> 
> ...


I'm signed up for Instacart. Got that card and lanyard. I lost interest quickly after reading all the negativity about the company.

I know one cabbie that is basically a BUTLER and does well taking care of elderly folks he met while driving the taxi. He makes like $500 a week on one person alone. There is another person he runs errands for. He says it's risky running up a bill of credit for them, but they pay. I don't know if I would work on those terms either.


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## goneubering (Aug 17, 2017)

MHR said:


> https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...crack-down-tip-baiting-new-policy/3163331001/
> *Instacart's latest policy will give you less time to change a tip after delivery*​
> Instacart is revising it's tipping policy to keep users from taking advantage of the system by "tip baiting."
> 
> ...


I don't see how this solves anything.


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## Fuzzyelvis (Dec 7, 2014)

Uber's Guber said:


> I'm pretty sure 24 hours is still ample time for scammers to scam. :rollseyes:


They even pointed out that most scamming happens before 24 hours.

It should be 1 hour at most, and there should be a minimum they HAVE to tip unless something so egregious happens that they file a police report for theft.

So regardless of what they tip they should be immediately told that the first $25 of that CANNOT be taken back after delivery, even in that hour. If they actually had to file a police report and prove they didn't get their groceries or something was damaged they would simply not put in a big tip in the first place if they planned to take it back.

Then if there's a $100 tip the driver knows they'll get at least $25 no matter what.



goneubering said:


> I don't see how this solves anything.


It solves nothing. It's to make it look like they fixed something, when they didn't. It's a PR move.



MikeSki said:


> my favorite is schedule early am pick up going to the airport, then change destination, after driver arrives, to your morning job at walmart 2 blocks away.


I had one of those. I kicked them out. Told them it said 45 minutes, and that was what i accepted, so the contract was null and void.



k4ever said:


> You can do that on Uber or Lyft, but I dont think you can do it on Instacart.
> 
> But seriously ... 24 HOURS?! What a joke, it wont make a difference at all.
> 
> Just take that option away. On Domino's, whatever the customer tipped before the order was delivered, is the final amount. If there is a problem with the order (item missing, wrong item, etc ...), the customer can call the store and management will fix the problem with them. Of course there can be drivers that are not doing their job properly, either on purpose or not, but those can be tracked and dealt with later. Same applies to customers that complain too much constantly.


When I was at Dominos the only way you got it changed was if the entire order was canceled. If an item was forgotten it would be sent out but if the customer was upset, they'd just get a credit for the next order. The driver tip wouldn't change. The only way the order would be canceled would be if they returned everything, and scammers don't do that. Folks who missed their breadsticks don't either. They're happy to get them and a credit for free food later.

But if you're a good driver, Dominos wants to keep you. Uber and these app companies don't care about keeping any drivers.


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## Lute Byrt (Feb 20, 2020)




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## FormerTaxiDriver♧ (Apr 5, 2018)

goneubering said:


> I don't see how this solves anything.


It doesnt! Ya know, I'm sick and tired of deceptive practices by app companies. I think Doordash has it right on tipping though.


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## Launchpad McQuack (Jan 8, 2019)

MHR said:


> Starting Monday, Instacart users have 24 hours after a delivery is made to withdraw tips. Before, customers had up to three days to rescind or alter them.​


Well...............that will surely fix the problem. There's no way that scammers will be proactive enough to take action within 24 hours. (There's some pretty heavy sarcasm there if you can't tell.)​


MHR said:


> Uber Eats lets users edit tips for up to one hour after orders arrive.


The difference is that Uber does not inform the driver of the tip amount until _after_ it has been finalized. It can't be changed after the driver has been informed of the amount. So when a driver makes a decision about whether or not to accept an Uber Eats ping, the exact amount of the tip is not part of that decision.



MHR said:


> And tip bating is a relatively rare occurrence.


I'm not convinced. I signed up with Instacart about three weeks ago. In that span, I have completed two orders because the vast majority of Instacart orders are not worth my time. For both of those orders, the amount that I was ultimately paid was less than the amount that the app said I would be paid when I accepted the order. I now suspect that this is why.



MHR said:


> Only 0.25% of orders had a tip adjusted after 24 hours....


So why would they think that limiting the adjustment window to 24 hours would do anything to solve the problem???



MHR said:


> ...and less than 0.5% of tips are *removed entirely* after groceries are delivered, Instacart said.


Neither of these two statistics tell us how sweeping the problem is. They left out (probably intentionally) the most important statistic. How often are tips reduced after the delivery is completed?



MHR said:


> ...it's disappointing for shoppers in the rare case that this happens.


I don't think "disappointing" is the right word. The word that they're looking for is "fraud." That's what it's called when you offer somebody a certain dollar amount to complete a job, they complete job, and then you pay them less than you said you would.



Lissetti said:


> If Instant Pay is available on Instacart, as a driver I would be screenshotting and cashing out as as soon as I get the tip.


Instant Pay is available, but you can only cash out the base pay that Instacart pays you. In-app tips cannot be cashed out and are deposited into your bank account once a week.


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

MHR said:


> https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...crack-down-tip-baiting-new-policy/3163331001/
> *Instacart's latest policy will give you less time to change a tip after delivery*​
> Instacart is revising it's tipping policy to keep users from taking advantage of the system by "tip baiting."
> 
> ...


NO DELIVERIES DELIVERED

UNTIL THAY AMOUNT OF TIME ELAPSES !


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## Yam Digger (Sep 12, 2016)

Tony73 said:


> Still not enough. I don't know why these gig apps always come with loopholes so users can @@@@ drivers. Uber is acting like we all should be getting to work, nothing done for our safety.


And this is why I don't do driving gigs anymore.


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## Boston Bill (Jul 13, 2019)

KenLV said:


> I don't do Instacart, but as soon as I heard of this crap I had to ask...
> 
> "Don't these people realize that the person they just screwed over knows where they live?"
> 
> ...


Or just do the instant cash out. I wonder if your account would show a negative balance if the pax tried to alter the tip?


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## New2This (Dec 27, 2015)

Boston Bill said:


> Or just do the instant cash out. I wonder if your account would show a negative balance if the pax tried to alter the tip?





Lissetti said:


> If Instant Pay is available on Instacart, as a driver I would be screenshotting and cashing out as as soon as I get the tip.


Instacart doesn't let you Instant Pay tips


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## jeanocelot (Sep 2, 2016)

TheDevilisaParttimer said:


> What's gonna happen is personal shoppers are gonna start advertising their services on apps like thumbtack and cut Instacart out of the loop.
> 
> Just wait as out of work moms with a Minivan figure out they can triple their money by doing this and actually running it as their own business.


It seems that is there is some flexibility in the time to deliver the groceries, a lot of optimization can be done. That mom in her minivan could have a dorm-fridge for cold stuff, and she could basically take orders in the morning and then spend the afternoon shopping and delivering all in one stop at the grocery store and one route.


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## VanGuy (Feb 15, 2019)




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## Jo3030 (Jan 2, 2016)

More scams.


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## touberornottouber (Aug 12, 2016)

KenLV said:


> I don't do Instacart, but as soon as I heard of this crap I had to ask...
> 
> "Don't these people realize that the person they just screwed over knows where they live?"
> 
> ...


and these are the people delivering their food.

Now disclaimer here: I'm NOT advocating this and I have never worked for an app such as instacart.

Most stuff is sealed in some way but very poorly. It would be trivial for a driver to say open up a corner of a microwave dinner and spit in it, etc. and then throw some crazy glue and seal back enough to wear it would not be obvious. Then with produce you have no seal whatsoever.

I've always considered it extremely stupid to mess with the people handling my food!


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## sellkatsell44 (Oct 25, 2015)

I used shipt for the first time today, via target.

left cash under the mat for the delivery person.

i think once a tip is given it shouldn’t be taken back.


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## Yam Digger (Sep 12, 2016)

touberornottouber said:


> and these are the people delivering their food.
> 
> Now disclaimer here: I'm NOT advocating this and I have never worked for an app such as instacart.
> 
> ...


Don't mess with the people who are in a position to mess with your food.


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

FormerTaxiDriver♧ said:


> I'm signed up for Instacart. Got that card and lanyard. I lost interest quickly after reading all the negativity about the company.
> 
> I know one cabbie that is basically a BUTLER and does well taking care of elderly folks he met while driving the taxi. He makes like $500 a week on one person alone. There is another person he runs errands for. He says it's risky running up a bill of credit for them, but they pay. I don't know if I would work on those terms either.


I have had a couple of old senior passengers that have tried to use me as their errand boy. It usually starts out good... but then they would all turn out the same way... They start asking for discounts and/or extra services at no extra cost until you realize you could be making more just driving for Uber.... then eventually a time comes where you do something for them and they say, "Oh, I don't have enough money to pay you today, I will pay you back next time," and then next time comes and they don't remember owing you anything. Usually right after you pay $120 of your own cash for something for them, and they suddenly don't have any money to pay for the errand nor the thing that cost $120. That seems to be how those situations go.


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## Yam Digger (Sep 12, 2016)

Trafficat said:


> I have had a couple of old senior passengers that have tried to use me as their errand boy. It usually starts out good... but then they would all turn out the same way... They start asking for discounts and/or extra services at no extra cost until you realize you could be making more just driving for Uber.... then eventually a time comes where you do something for them and they say, "Oh, I don't have enough money to pay you today, I will pay you back next time," and then next time comes and they don't remember owing you anything. Usually right after you pay $120 of your own cash for something for them, and they suddenly don't have any money to pay for the errand nor the thing that cost $120. That seems to be how those situations go.


When I used to drive Uber, I would have a few people ask me to be their regular driver. Apart from the fact that I'm not licensed or insured for that kind of thing, I really didn't want the commitment; that's not why I signed up for Uber.

And like you said, these things often and badly.


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## whatyoutalkinboutwillis (Jul 29, 2017)

touberornottouber said:


> and these are the people delivering their food.
> 
> Now disclaimer here: I'm NOT advocating this and I have never worked for an app such as instacart.
> 
> ...


But you don't know that the tip is being rescinded until AFTER you've delivered the food. How about we don't do the shopping full stop? And if asked, chalk it up to the bait and switch.


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## ABQuber (Jan 30, 2019)

Why anybody is allowed to change a tip is beyond me. No difference between them ordering food then changing their mind after it’s been delivered and paying less.

asshole gig companies.


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## ANTlifebaby (Oct 28, 2018)

There are legitimate reasons why I would (and have) change tips.

I've had one shopper who was in constant contact with me the whole time. Literally any time they were out of something, he was trying his best to find a substitution. I informed him that my son has a dairy and egg allergy, so he would actually read the allergen information on substitutions (everything I put in of course was dairy and egg free) if he needed to make a change. He went and found the rice milk, etc. He found the vegan cheese and the dairy-free sour cream. I threw down an extra twenty on his tip.

I get it. It's a pain in the ass, going to a store you are unfamiliar with and buying stuff you don't have any idea where it is. I wouldn't do it, so I absolutely appreciate when someone goes above and beyond.

The next shopper I had literally would not respond and just changed things from like Oreos, which don't have dairy, to like Chips Ahoy which do. She didn't even look for the rice milk. Just threw regular milk into the cart. Really? Any suggestion I offered she rejected. So I basically had to cancel half the order because none of her replacements worked I kept trying to chat with her, no response, until finally she says, "Y u have me shoppin if you don't want nothing."

She showed up with maybe 80 dollars of a 250 dollar order, and you don't think I should be able to change the tip on that? It was an absolute waste of time. She still got her 5% tip, but I paid it based on the 80 bucks of stuff she delivered rather than the original 250.


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## Launchpad McQuack (Jan 8, 2019)

whatyoutalkinboutwillis said:


> That's not what people are discussing.


It wasn't the original topic of the thread, but this was the previous post.



ABQuber said:


> Why anybody is allowed to change a tip is beyond me.


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## whatyoutalkinboutwillis (Jul 29, 2017)

Launchpad McQuack said:


> It wasn't the original topic of the thread, but this was the previous post.


Oops, my bad.


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