Think DoorDash Sucks? Here Are 8 Common Complaints & Solutions!
As the most popular food delivery service in the United States, DoorDash gets a lot of love and hate.
In terms of a side hustle, DoorDash lets you work on your own schedule and is incredibly easy to sign up for.
And in terms of ordering food, DoorDash has the leading market share, tons of restaurant options, and is also easy to use.
But many drivers and customers alike still run into problems. So today, I'm covering some of the main reasons people say DoorDash sucks.
More importantly, I'm also covering some solutions to these common problems so you can enjoy a better Dashing experience overall!
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Common Reasons People Say DoorDash Sucks (& Solutions!)
Alright, it's time to dive into some of the most common complaints about DoorDash and what you can do to avoid those problems!
1. Deliveries Aren't Worth The Money
One of the most common complaints people have about working for DoorDash is that the pay for many deliveries isn't worth the effort or driving distance.
In many cases, this is honestly true. After all, you can sometimes get horrendous order requests like driving 30 miles for just $12.33:
But like any driving gig, you have to work efficiently, not just hard, so there are some ways around this problem.
The Solution: One common rule of thumb is to only accept DoorDash orders that pay about $1 per mile or even $1.50 per mile. This ensures you're only taking orders that are worth the time and gas.
Many new Dashers don't know this, but your DoorDash acceptance rate doesn't matter. So don't be afraid to decline as many orders as you want until you get ones that actually pay well.
2. Your Food Arrives Cold
I think the most common reason customers say DoorDash sucks is that they order a delicious meal from their favorite restaurant, only for it to show up cold an hour later.
Honestly, this usually isn't the fault of the DoorDash driver, so don't take it out on them.
Oftentimes, you're simply ordering from restaurants that are too far away. And if your Dasher gets assigned a stacked order, which means they have to complete two deliveries at once, your food can take a while to arrive.
The Solution: When I order from DoorDash or Uber Eats, I pretty much only order from restaurants within my general area to avoid this problem. And tip your driver well beforehand so they see a higher potential payout and are more likely to accept your order.
3. Customers Don't Tip Dashers Well
DoorDash pay is another common complaint and reason gig workers say DoorDash sucks. After all, it's frustrating to put in the work of making a delivery where base pay might be low, only to get stiffed on the tip.
The thing is, tips can make or break your hourly wage for most gig apps. But you still need to use common sense when choosing the orders you accept.
The Solution: Again, you should aim for accepting DoorDash orders that pay at least $1 to $1.50 per mile on the guaranteed earnings tab. This is generally a better strategy than taking low-paying orders and hoping tips work out.
Additionally, one DoorDash driver trick is to use the Para app, which is a tip estimation app for jobs like DoorDash.
Para can estimate what DoorDash tips are going to be, so you have a better idea of the true payout for an order.
This can make low-paying orders actually worth taking, and Para has surprisingly high accuracy for predicting tips. And so far, no one has gotten deactivated for using the app according to Para.
4. DoorDash Is Slow In Your Market
In smaller towns and cities, DoorDash can be very slow. This means customers wait longer for food to arrive, and Dashers make less money because they get fewer orders.
This is an inevitable part of living in a smaller market. But you're not powerless against this problem!
The Solution: For Dashers, it's very important to deliver at the best DoorDash times. This is when order volume is the highest, so you get more orders and make more money.
The best times are generally from 11am to 1pm and from around 5pm to 8pm. In other words, make sure you're delivering during the lunch and dinner rush. And working late-nights on Friday and Saturday is a good idea as well.
Additionally, don't be afraid to use other food delivery apps when DoorDash is slow.
Many drivers multi-app with Instacart or Uber Eats, so you can find other ways to make money by completing deliveries.
5. Restaurants Take Forever To Prepare Food
I think another super common reason people say DoorDash sucks is that restaurants can often take a long time to prepare food.
The Solution: For customers, your best bet is to order from restaurants closer to you than far away so the delivery time is at least lower.
And, know that fast food joints like McDonald's and Burger King are, ironically, very slow on DoorDash since they're swamped with other orders.
As for Dashers, the solution is to actually cancel your active order if you get to a restaurant and realize it's going to take forever for your food to be ready.
Your DoorDash completion rate needs to be above 80% to avoid deactivation. But this gives you some wiggle room to cancel orders that are going to take way too long.
6. Gas Prices Are Very High
There's no denying that current gas prices right now are making gig jobs like DoorDash or Instacart slightly less profitable.
And, since DoorDash doesn't pay for gas, you have to factor fuel expenses into your delivery earnings so you know how much you're actually making.
Plus, there are some tips you can use to help reduce gas expenses so you make more money DoorDashing.
The Solution: My first piece of advice for Dashers is to track their mileage so you know exactly how much you're driving. Also keep all your gas receipts so you can potentially claim some business mileage when you file your taxes.
I also suggest using different reward apps like GetUpside to save money on gas.
This might not sound like much, but if all these tips save you 5% in fuel costs, that's a 5% boost to your overall profits.
7. Hourly Pay Isn't Guaranteed
Like other gig economy jobs, DoorDash doesn't guarantee hourly pay or even set fixed hours. You create your own schedule, and how much you earn depends on the orders you accept, tips, and how quickly you deliver.
But if you're earning a low amount per hour, you might think DoorDash sucks and isn't even profitable.
The Solution: Once again, knowing which orders to accept is extremely important for making money with food delivery gigs.
Don't hesitate to decline bad orders and be patient. Also, tactics like waiting around DoorDash hotspots, which are areas with many popular restaurants, can keep the orders coming in fast so you make more money.
8. DoorDash Is Expensive
One final reason people say DoorDash sucks is that it can feel pretty expensive at times. And, of course, DoorDash is more expensive than just picking up food yourself since you pay delivery fees and food prices are slightly higher.
There's actually lots of hilarious DoorDash memes about this topic, but again, it's almost unavoidable that you're going to pay a premium for delivery.
The Solution: If you frequently order from DoorDash, you can subscribe to DashPass for potential discounts. DashPass grants unlimited deliveries from thousands of restaurants with $0 delivery charges for orders over $12.
You can also read my post on the best ways to get a free DoorDash gift card to help reduce costs.
Final Thoughts
If you thought DoorDash sucks, I hope this article at least provides a few tips and tricks you can use to make the service a bit better.
DoorDash is the leading food delivery app for good reason. It has thousands of restaurants, is easy to use, and it's also a very flexible side hustle.
For customers, tip your Dashers, order from nearby restaurants, and consider DashPass to save money if you order all the time.
And if you're making money with DoorDash, make sure you work efficiently and only select orders that are worth it.
You can make quick money as a Dasher, and if you use these tips and try a few other gig apps, you can certainly boost your monthly income.
Looking for even more money-making ideas? Checkout:
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