Last week I placed a large dinner order for myself and several friends through DoorDash. There was no way to add a tip when I placed my order, but I wasn’t too worried: DoorDash assured me that I would be able to tip once the order was placed or delivered .
It was my first time using the service since last November, and since then, DoorDash has made some big changes: to protest a New York City law guaranteeing a minimum wage for delivery drivers, the platform has removed the possibility of adding a tip when you place an order. Now in New York, customers like me who want to continue tipping must do so after placing their order.
It wasn’t until I went back to add a tip to that dinner order that I realized how difficult DoorDash had made the process, even after the initial payment. On the DoorDash website, I looked through my receipts and past orders pages to find a way to add a tip. I checked my confirmation email to find an “add tip” option. Nothing.
The only way for me to add a tip was to message DoorDash support via chat and request that a tip be added manually. Annoyed, I asked why there wasn’t an option after checkout to tip the person hand-delivering food to me and got a vague answer about how DoorDash did the system updates. The conversation was then abruptly interrupted.
One test by another Edge The reporter found similar obstacles to tipping. On the DoorDash app, the “Add Tip” option is at the top when viewing a placed order. But on the web this option is not found. I don’t have the DoorDash app and don’t want it, but I would like to have an easy way to tip my drivers.
DoorDash has a sprawling presence even beyond its own app: some restaurants use company infrastructure on their own sites to process orders. It’s not always clear whether DoorDash is involved, but delivery drivers could miss out on tips if there are barriers to adding a tip. Take the online order page for Han Dynasty, a Brooklyn restaurant that uses DoorDash. There is no option to tip at the register; nor is there any mention of being able to add a tip after the fact.
DoorDash did not immediately respond to my questions about whether this was a bug or a feature.
DoorDash’s decision to increase the post-order tip is the company’s way of throwing a tantrum over a new minimum hourly rate of $17.96 for delivery drivers. In announcing the change in how tips are given, DoorDash called New York City’s law is ‘ill-conceived’ and ‘extreme.’ Delivery workers previously earned about $7.09 an hour, despite working dangerous and often thankless job.
“We know that tipping is still an important way for consumers to show their appreciation to Dashers, so consumers will still be able to tip after payment and up to 30 days after their order,” the company wrote in his announcement about tipping changes. And yes, it’s true, there is still a way to add a tip to your DoorDash order — the company will just make you jump through hoops to do it.
