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Naughty Merchant Tactics

Confirmation Rusher

Some merchants have engaged in refusing to pushing drivers to tap the "Confirm pickup" (DoorDash) or "Got Order" (Grubhub) button BEFORE leaving the establishment. Confirmation Rushing is similar to the Order Hostage, except that merchants listed as Confirmation Rusher will generally release the order when the driver presses that he/she/they/etc must have possession of the order before confirming pickup. In an Order Hostage situation, the merchant will not release the order no matter what before the Confirm Pickup, Got Order, or similar button is pressed.

Why you should NEVER confirm you have an order before it's in your possession

When you tap the Confirm Pickup, Got Order, or whatever button it's called in whatever app you're using, you are marking that you have possession of the order, which starts your clock toward the threshhold where you will or won't get a contract violation for the order being late (if it is).

Don't be rude about it, but hold your ground.

If you are asked to confirm pickup of the order, your best response is to politely say "I don't have it in my possession yet." Most likely, they will respond in one of two ways:
  1. They will go ahead and give you the order anyway, because they realize that if they still refuse to release it, there is a good probability that you will leave, and it will be at least 10-15 more minutes before someone else shows up to pick up the order. If enough people refuse to confirm order pickups before actually having possession of the order, merchants will get the message and stop asking drivers to lie about having the order when they actually do not.
  2. They may still refuse to give you the order. In this case, your best option is as follows. 1. Leave without making a scene (unlike the woman in Nashville who pepper sprayed a merchant who posed no physical threat to her), 2.Return to your vehicle, contact support, and tell them exactly the following or something like it: "The merchant refused to release the order unless I confirmed pickup without actually having possession of the order, and I don't feel comfortable confirming pickup of something I am not yet in possession of. This seems to happen a lot more on DoorDash than it does on Grubhub (rarely) or Uber Eats (practically never).
  3. Special Note to Dashers using the DoorDash platform - DoorDash is actually very good about giving you half pay when they have to cancel or reassign an order for this reason. We don't have much information on Grubhub or Uber Eats because this seems to be primarily a DoorDash issue.

What NOT to Do

  1. Do not use abusive language. Verbally abusing the staff will NEVER get you anywhere in this scenario. Be polite even if they aren't.
  2. Do not make threatening gestures such as balling your hands up in fists, or motions like you are going to slap somebody.
  3. Do not damage property, knock over displays, or do anything else that could be construed as physically making a scene. Most merchants have cameras, and will not hesitate to sue for damages if you damage any of their property.
  4. Don't cave in and confirm the order if you have already told them you cannot confirm pickup on orders you are not in possession of. This will lead them not to believe you or other drivers in the future. Hold your ground! It's better to lose one order than your pride!