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So while there are things on Doordash that you can simply leave at the door if a customer has not been located and sometimes that is requested, there are also times where you have to Return orders back to the store, which is never fun but it is necessary for many reasons.
So in this article, We are talking about:
EVERYTHING You MUST Know about Returning Orders on Doordash
What they tell you vs how it ACTUALLY is
Everything in between!
Disclaimer: The content of this video does not contain and is never intended to be legal, business, financial, tax, or health advice of any kind, This video is for entertainment purposes only. It is advised that you conduct your own research and consult with qualified professionals before applying anything you find online.
I also want to be clear that everything we are going to go over is very market dependent, and what applies to me and my market may not apply to you.
Some orders on DoorDash must be returned to the Merchant if the customer is unavailable during the original delivery attempt.
This is mainly going to apply to the kinds of orders that require some kind of ID verification. Alcohol, Tobacco and more recently CBD/THC products.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What If the Customer is Unavailable upon drop off?
A: Please go through the Customer Unavailable flow in your app. Once the timer is complete, you will see instructions on what to do next. If the order must be returned, then an automatic return order will be generated for you at the end of the Customer Unavailable timer.
Failure to return the merchandise of return eligible orders could result in deactivation.
Sometimes, orders (such as groceries, alcohol, flowers, or apparel) must be returned to the merchant. Follow the instructions in the Dasher app to take the proper action.
But mostly ID required orders, never assume what you have to do otherwise, just go through the prompts properly. When in doubt though, contact support… no matter how annoying they are.
Please note the process for orders containing alcohol:
Alcohol cannot, under ANY circumstances, be left unattended at a customer’s door.
Seriously, don’t let laziness be the reason you get deactivated. Even if a customer decides to tape their ID to the front of the door and ask you to leave it there, there are sting operations that take place.
Q: What should I do with orders that also contain non-alcohol items?
A: You may leave the non-alcohol items at the door, but the alcohol items must be returned or disposed of. Follow the instructions in the Dasher app for what to do with non-deliverable alcohol. For a complete guide on delivering alcohol, check out DoorDash’s Delivering Alcohol Guidelines.
First of all, in terms of Alcohol Orders specifically, I made a video about it. I will leave it in the description, feel free to check that out.
Second, in terms of Non-Alcohol and Alcohol order combinations, you will see this more on 2 pickup/1 dropoff orders and orders containing mix drinks than something like an liquor store or something.
You might leave the occasional soda or have to return medicine from a pharmacy but nothing too crazy.
Market to Market
Now not every area is going to have the same rules about return deliveries. I remember getting comments on a similar video I made about this subject and them saying they don’t have those requirements on their end because of the Alcohol laws in their area.
Which also means that they kept the alcohol order, that said they still didn’t leave the order at the door.
Some markets don’t even allow for alcohol delivery at all! Either way, make sure you do your research on your area and follow the app instructions. If in the future you don’t want to deal with the hassle, just make sure you don’t accept those orders in the future.
Scanning Your Own ID
So some people just want to skip the process if verifying ID and instead of scanning an ID they just eyeball them as a 50+ year old individual, let them act like a Karen for not wanting to provide ID and just scan their own for the sake of speed, or you know just forgot and didn’t want to bother them.
That is going to get you deactivated if they catch onto you, and I go over that in my Alcohol Delivery on Doordash video. Not to mention, there are literal sting operations dedicated to catching people doing this.
I don’t care if this is going to be a hassle for you, return the items back to the store.
Pay and a Half
While it is unusual for returns to be required, the good news is that they usually provide an additional half pay for the return. Meaning, you would receive the full value of the order AND an additional half pay.
This is applied automatically in most cases and doesn’t require multiple calls to support. That said, pay and a half is really only beneficial for those who are following the golden rule of gig work. #NoTipNoTrip.
Pay and a Half of a No-Tip order is $3, whereas pay-and-a-half of a $12 order is $18.
Most Other Apps are Similar
Most apps have similar policies in terms of returns. If it is an alcohol delivery, make sure you bring it back, even if it is only for an additional $3 or in some cases less.
I know UberEats can be fussy about this and I have had to fight on the phone multiple times in the past, but I didn’t want to fall out of compliance for that reason.
That said, Doordash is probably the only app that does Pay-and-a-half, some apps just give pocket change and some have set return rates.
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Join here and get started on making the most amount of money in the least amount of time in the safest possible way, we are looking forward to helping you secure your financial future!
If you would like to add some other perspective to Returning Orders on Doordash, feel free to email me: drivenwyld@gmail.com and who knows? Maybe your email or perspective and be featured in a post as well!
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