website thubmnail of Instacart
How would you rate Instacart?
grey star
grey star
grey star
grey star
grey star
Oregon
1 review
8 helpful votes
Follow Dave S.
Unfollow Dave S.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Our first use of instacart (thru the Fred Meyer app) two weeks ago went ok, aside from items not delivered. (Out of stock?)
Today, the order had quart s of milk (8) instead of half gallons.
Driver says " the app said quarts" call Fred's.
I call Fred's, "sorry, you have to speak to instacart" and gives me the wrong number. I call IC and, "151 minute wait time". Ok I get it, we're all busy. I try to go to IC online, and, no way to report a wrong item, cause, I didn't buy on the IC app, I bought on the Fred's app. WTF!
Not a real happy camper.

Date of experience: April 2, 2020
New York
2 reviews
9 helpful votes
Follow Kathrine C.
Unfollow Kathrine C.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Total Scam
May 14, 2018

I tried the free trial but didn't read the fine print that after 14 days you would be automatically charged $149 for the year. They didn't even confirm that I wanted to do it just took the money out of my account and now it's 3-5 business days to get reimbursed. I hate Amazon.

Date of experience: May 14, 2018
New York
1 review
1 helpful vote
Follow Amy Z.
Unfollow Amy Z.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Embarrassingly bad
November 16, 2017

I really wanted to have Whole Foods products delivered so I tried Instacart a couple of times. One time was worse than the next-nearly half of my order was unavailable and I spent close to an hour answering texts about substitutions. Additionally, the overall selection is limited. It's a ridiculous waste of time to use this service.

Date of experience: November 16, 2017
Pennsylvania
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Mikel L.
Unfollow Mikel L.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Horrible
May 9, 2020

I have ordered twice and I never got my order and besides the customer service was horrible and they were unable to offer me any solution. This business should be closed because they literally steal your money. Worst experience I have ever had. I am still waiting for my refund. Be careful with them.

Date of experience: May 9, 2020
California
1 review
6 helpful votes
Follow Fe M.
Unfollow Fe M.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

They don't honor your privacy rights regarding your privacy and personal information. Customer service doesn't help at all and privacy department never responds unless in a rude way. I won't trust this business ever again since my personal information is not safe with them plus unbelievable terrible customer service. Don't fall into their hands.

Date of experience: May 25, 2023
California
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Candy W.
Unfollow Candy W.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Did some shopping at Costco via Instacart before. Received some credits back to our account due to poor quality of groceries we got. We paid through credit card for the shopping, without our consent they refunded the money as an account credit instead of back to our credit card unless we request the refund back to our credit card. After that, it's been a while we didn't shop via Instacart. The next time when we were shopping through Instacart at Costco for our parents, we were disappointed to find out that those credits were gone. Contacted Instacart, they told us sorry those credits were expired. First time dealing with online business with account credits that has an expiration date without acknowledging their consumers. Won't trust this business anymore, very disappointed!

Date of experience: May 5, 2022
Michigan
1 review
2 helpful votes
Follow Sam s.
Unfollow Sam s.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Big disappointment. More work than it's worth. The shoppers have no common. Sense. Kroger and Meier suck. Half of what you order is not in stock. The zombie shopper doesn't have the sense to replace stuff. Even the most basic items are not available.

Date of experience: August 19, 2017
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Tina K.
Unfollow Tina K.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Watch your Purchases
December 5, 2022

I utilized Instacart about dozen times, but I'm done. I do think the shoppers meant well and were always polite, however, they do tend to shop for several orders at a time which means if you have frozen goods, they're going to be half-frozen by the time you get them. My latest experience, however, was the worst. I was charged for 3 items I did not even order! They were two large containers of Ice drinks (which were not even in my order despite being charged) and a large package of Kroger brand toilet paper (which I do not buy but I did get, so what the heck, I kept it). The total for the Ice beverages was $24.99! Which I was eventually reimbursed for plus $10 inconvenience fee, but knowing it was possible for me to be charged without my permission was enough for me. I'm through with Instacart. I'll wait another day for a Kroger delivery person.

Date of experience: December 5, 2022
Washington
1 review
2 helpful votes
Follow Angie B.
Unfollow Angie B.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

I've used Instacart several dozen (if not a couple hundred) times. I'd say it was frustrating in one way or another a good 20% of the time. Recently, it is so frustrating that you will lose years of your life and probably die early of a heart attack due to infuriating shopper/delivery service. The typical 2-hour delivery window is now a 2-day window; I kid you not. I don't know if they have lost many shoppers, but the ones I've dealt with recently are chronically late and (maybe because they are expected to shop up to 3 orders at once) and you often end up with 1/2 of your order and 1/2 of another customer's order. Don't waste your time. You could have gone to the store and back 5 times and not pulled out 1/2 the hair on your head.

Date of experience: March 2, 2020
Arizona
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Whitney H.
Unfollow Whitney H.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

I am a diamond status working for this company we already didn't get enough pay now they are decreasing our batch pay. They will put multiple orders together and still pay what they would pay for one order. The only way to see decent money if the customer tips. If not you are doomed. This is what they are paying now and this to them is a fire pay they are a joke I would rather deliver food than do this. What a joke Instacart. Been working on this platform for a year now and this is wrong. Everything is going except wages and pay on these apps. While you are getting richer the poor getting poorer. 35 items depending on the store will take someone up to 45 minutes and that does not include the time to get there or the time to drop off the order. So you will only make $6 for one hour and you waste more gas depending where the order is at at the mileage. The wear and tear on your vehicle and they only offer you a discount on oil changes.

Date of experience: July 25, 2023
Texas
1 review
4 helpful votes
Follow Joshua N.
Unfollow Joshua N.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

You get to pick your store, see your store's prices, select and click purchase and even see what your store would have charged you if you had gotten off your lazy $#*! and just gone shopping yourself.

Then they take that list to one of their "retail partners," and charge you their prices with an additional mark up. So you pay $149 annually to pay 35% more for your groceries.

It's a scam. Don't use them.

Date of experience: August 13, 2018
California
8 reviews
24 helpful votes
Follow Jason K.
Unfollow Jason K.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Loving Instacart
December 9, 2019

Been using them for a little while now. Living in a city and not having a vehicle, I am able to do large amounts of grocery shopping. Where as I used to pay for an Uber or Lyft to help me get more than 2 bags of groceries home with me, now I have the convenience of having them delivered at a fraction of what I would've paid for the delivery. I did have one challenge, where they replaced sausage with ground meat, that didn't work for me because (1) I don't have pig intestines on hand to make my own and (2) nor was I going to try. I did get in touch with their support center and they were able to refund me. Other than that though, solid service, that I will continue to use.

Date of experience: December 7, 2019
Florida
1 review
5 helpful votes
Follow Veronica S.
Unfollow Veronica S.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

First two services, incredible... I was amazed with service and how fast the delivery was... I was even promoting Instacart around my neighborhood...
Last two deliveries, awful... Grapes in very bad shape, soggy spinach and broken eggs...
I even specified by text and by phone that if vegetables or fruits where not in optimum shape, not to buy them... What a pity...

Date of experience: January 5, 2016
California
1 review
3 helpful votes
Follow John M.
Unfollow John M.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Fraudulent Charges
November 10, 2017

Placed my first order and was quoted $68.12 for items I selected on the Costco portal. Delivery is late by several hours and several delivered items were incorrect. Come to learn that the items THEY substituted cost a ridiculous amount and I was charged $88.40 plus delivery charges which was suppose to be free with my first order. 3 weeks later, I noticed a charge on my credit card for $149 for an Instacart subscription which I never signed up for... now dealing with my credit card company. What a headache... this company is quite the scam!

Date of experience: November 10, 2017
Tennessee
1 review
2 helpful votes
Follow Sandy K.
Unfollow Sandy K.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Stay away!
June 23, 2019

Charged $90 for $30 worth of groceries. I asked fo 2 lbs of meat, the shopper got be 5.6 lbs. she said she returned but I never saw the refund. I waited just thinking they needed time to process the card. Now instacart us saying I waited too long. Never too late to make thing right! This is bad business. Stay away

Date of experience: June 23, 2019
Arizona
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Desiree H.
Unfollow Desiree H.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Horrible stay away
March 1, 2021

Tried for the first time they never delivered groceries charged my account kept calling customer service got nowhere was in the middle of cooking dinner I'm single mom 4 kids waiting for a couple items to finish dinner they had me under impression that groceries were coming an hour and a half after the groceries were supposed to be delivered got a message say ing that they were delivered and they were not wouldnt be till after 9 pm till they could get groceries out to me again which means kids wouldnt ne eating till 10 pm on a school night when I placed order at 2 pm for 2 hr delivery and they still have my money stay away horrible place

Date of experience: March 1, 2021
South Carolina
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Brenda H.
Unfollow Brenda H.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Shoppers do not always deliver all the products you purchase or order. In trying to resolve this issue satisfactorily I just got the runaround as they tried to get me to accept $5 for not receiving the 5 missing items.

Date of experience: March 6, 2023
Massachusetts
1 review
3 helpful votes
Follow jeff C.
Unfollow jeff C.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Extortion
April 8, 2017

Watch out for unapproved continued charges to your credit card after using Instacart. I decided to give the site a try. The food was significantly overpriced and decided not to use them again, but months later, I discovered a $140 charge on my credit card, which, after calling them, turns out to be an "automatic renewal fee" for free deliveries. This was certainly not clear when I used them the firs time, and after a search of my online account with them, there is no mention of this charge. From It's hard to imaging that this is legal. It's safer to stay away and not get extorted.

Date of experience: April 8, 2017
New York
1 review
0 helpful votes
Follow Jennifer I.
Unfollow Jennifer I.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Shopper and customer here.
As a shopper - this platform is absolutely terrible. The company steals, lies, cheats, makes empty promises. The pay is atrocious, the mileage is absurd. The pay is absolute dirt for the work that we do. I don't recommend this to anyone as an even okay source of income.
As a customer - it's a gamble. Some shoppers are absolutely amazing and take pride in what they do. Others are sneaky and lie, as well as steal. I have been using IC for many years, this is the first year I didn't renew my subscription.

Date of experience: April 3, 2023
Georgia
1 review
2 helpful votes
Follow Chelsea B.
Unfollow Chelsea B.
Send Message
Share Review
Report Review

Not approved amount
January 11, 2018

When I first used Instacart I was so impressed with the service.The lady shopping for me even said the strawberries did not look good and she did not suggest I buy them that day. Everything I ordered was correct, she drove right up to my garage and delivered my groceries. I thought for sure I would be using again... wrong. I happen to being checking my bank statement and saw a $149 charge from them that I DID NOT authorize. I sent them a couple emails, cancelled my account, etc. I have yet to hear back from them but in the end I'm hoping they refund this $149...

Date of experience: January 11, 2018

Overview

Instacart has a rating of 1.2 stars from 2,488 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with Instacart most frequently mention customer service, credit card and grocery store. Instacart ranks 122nd among Grocery Delivery sites.

service
636
value
591
shipping
422
returns
433
quality
525
+457