GigCartel Caution Lists

Keeping the Gig Work Community Safe and Profitable since 2022

Naughty Merchant Tactics

Confirmation Rushing and Order Hostage

Confirmation Rushing

Order Hostage

It's not about curbing theft like they may tell you...it's often about control

1. Sometimes they are trying to curb a delivery driver practice known as "Multi-Apping" where drivers accept orders on two or more platforms (usually Grubhub and DoorDash because they are the easiest two to run at the same time) and the merchant and/or staff is concerned about their delivery being delivered late if the driver is delivering on multiple platforms at the same time.
2. It may simply give them a feeling of control. Especially if it's a non-management staff member with no authority over anyone, who may simply be jealous that you are your own boss and need to feel like they are bossing someone around. If it's an owner or manager,
3. If it's a non-management staff member asking you to confirm the order before they'll hand it to you, they may have also either been told to do this with third party deliveries, or formerly worked at an establishment where management told them to do this, and carried it over to their new place of employment. This happens a lot at places where some people engage in Confirmation Rushing or Order Hostage, and others employed there do not.

Gig Cartel does NOT recommend you EVER confirm any pickup of any order that is not currently in your possession, for the following reasons:

1. The minute you hit "Confirm pickup" (DoorDash), "Got Order" (Grubhub), or whatever the similar button is in whatever other app you are using, you are starting your "Deliver By" clock. This is a much bigger deal on DoorDash than it is on Grubhub.
2. Technically, if you confirm you have picked up something you actually don't yet have possession of, you are lying to the platform you are using, and you can check your contract for yourself if you don't believe us, but they could technically deactivate you for this alone, especially if the next factor comes into play...
3. The merchant could still refuse to give you the order even AFTER you confirm pickup, and if they do, you're pretty much guaranteed a Contract Violation on DoorDash. It happened to a couple of our editors. Usually, what happens when this scenario plays out is this...the merchant requests you confirm the pickup, then some time between the tapping of the button(s) and the handoff, they realize they were about to give you the wrong order, and then have to start over on their end, from scratch. This is REALLY problematic for you because you now have to admit to Support at your app platform that you tapped the confirmation button before you actually had the order. One of our editors who got a Contract Violation from DoorDash was specifically told he would not be protected from a Contract Violation on that order specifically because Dashers are NOT supposed to confirm pickup before they actually have the order, and he was told this by Dasher Support! 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. If it's late for any reason other than unforseeable things like traffic or weather (and you had better let Dasher Support know about those things even then, because they will always presume you Guilty Until Proven Innocent no matter what! Anyway, back to the topic...
4. If enough delivery drivers stand firm, and refuse to confirm pickup on orders that are not in their possession, the staff and management will have to consider the probability that deliveries will keep getting delayed until someone is actually willing to claim they have picked up something that they actually have not. It's totally fine if you want to do this and take the chance of a Contract Violation on your platform of choice. We are not here to tell you what to do.

   What to do if you are asked to confirm any pickup of any order that is not currently in your possession:

   Option #1 - NOT RECOMMENDED: Go ahead, humor them, hit the "Confirm Pickup" button if you're using DoorDash, "Got Order" button if you're using Grubhub, or other equivalent button if you're using another app, hope they don't actually still refuse to hand you the order, and go deliver it if they still hand it to you... Option #2 - RECOMMENDED Engage in the following procedure, step by step, as follows:
   1. Step #1 Politely say something to the effect of "I don't have the order yet, and I am unable to confirm pickup of any order that is not currently in my possession." The editors here at Gig Cartel have found that on average, up to 90 of merchants will go ahead and give you the order if you respond to their request politely percent of the time, which is why we separate the terms "Confirmation Rushing" and "Order Hostage" in our terminology. If they still let you have the order first, go ahead and confirm the pickup, let them see you do it AFTER it's in your insulated bag (you are using an insulated bag, right?), and be on your way with the delivery. If they still refuse to give you the order, proceed to the next step.
   2. Step #2 If the merchant still refuses to release the order to you, more firmly state "Unfortunately, I am unable to confirm any pickup of any order that I do not have possession of" or something like that, and start for the door. Some merchants and employees will give in when they see you mean it. They may ask you if you are willing to confirm the pickup as soon as you have it. They may say and/or do nothing. They may direct abusive language at you. Stick to your guns.
   3. Step #3 Return to your vehicle and contact support. Be sure to tell Support that the merchant specifically refused to release the order unless you blindly confirmed the pickup without actually being in possession of it, and that you were given to understand that Support does not want drivers confirming orders they do not have. If you are using DoorDash, they will often still give you half pay for the Dash if it is reassigned to another Dasher for this reason.
   4. Step #4Make a note of the establishment's name, address, and city, state or province (or other subnational jurisdiction if applicable), and country if other than USA or Canada, and report it to Gig Cartel by emailing all information to gigcartelreport@gmail.com.
   5. Step #5Keep making that money!

   Why more drivers should politely but firmly hold their ground on this:

   1. If enough gig delivery drivers hold their ground, the merchants will eventually abandon the practices of Confirmation Rushing and Order Hostage, in favor of a better order verification process. Virtually all merchants have cameras in their establishments for crime prevention anyway. They have a photo of you on their end of the delivery platform you are using. A simpler solution would be to require all delivery drivers to stand visibly in front of one of their cameras, and to even have a second camera over the tablet they have from the delivery platform that records all details, which can then be forwarded to the platform and/or even law enforcement in the event of thefts. They're just being lazy or cheap by not implementing such a system, and find it simpler to just force the drivers to confirm pickup of orders that are not in our possession yet, which could cause us problems with our delivery platforms.
   2. Orders that are delayed due to the merchant's sketchy business practices may still cost them money in the long run. For example, if a merchant tries to play Order Hostage with a driver who isn't having it and leaves, it may be AT LEAST 15-20 more minutes before the next driver shows up. Even if that driver is willing to confirm the pickup before receiving it, that's a delay where the customer's food could have been delivered by the time it is picked up because someone had the order reassigned. If the next driver holds their ground, that's easily a 30-40 minute delay, at which point the order may have to be remade.
   3. Odds are, you got into gig work to have more control over your own life, so don't give that up by being treated like an employee by some restaurant staff or management member on a power trip. You are not supposed to confirm you have picked something up if you haven't. Don't bend or break the rules for ANYONE. Hold your ground!

   However, there are a few things you should absolutely NOT do in response to a request to confirm any pickup of any order you do not currently have possession of:

   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.