Instacart

The 5 hour time frame was honored. Lots of substitutions due to stores being out of things. But I got 2 different types of honey and there seems to be no recourse.

So far not too bad
So far not too bad. Loved Peapod, but they are no longer in the midwest. I did notice a heavy order fee on my last few receipts. I certainly hope this is going to the delivery person and not instacart since the actual company is not lifting anything.

About half the time Instacart is okay, Many times their shoppers do NOT listen to the customer. For example, I placed a order today for 9 items. Three of those were pre-made sandwiches. The store didn't have 2 of them. I specifically stated when the shopper asked that I did NOT want them replaced with a different sandwich. She did it anyway. Now I'm stuck with 2 sandwiches I did NOT want and we won't eat. It's a waste of my money. There have been times items weren't included either. Makes me wonder why I'm immediately charged for something that isn't available or bought yet takes days to be reimbursed. The shopper totally missed part of my order. How many times is this done to customers and they don't realize it to receive a refund?

Instacart needs to train their shoppers and fix the issues or eventually they could go out of business or someone else will do a better job.

I am a cashier at the Costa Mesa smart and final. I have never before ever posted a complaint online anywhere. Instacart people have always been positive courtious helpful and kind. Until June 30 2020 at 6:30 pm. I watched an instacart shopper park her cart past our registers and go back to this lesson repeatedly for more stuff ( you don't do that) on a much less busy day she would have been asked to move the card to the shopping area. She took advantage of how busy we were and the fact that management was also a cashier. When she completed her order she pushed her cart to my register. She said she was next and these people took her spot. No they didn't. They waited in a very long line that wrapped around almost the entire store and waited to be prompted by our machine. I thought she had already paid and wanted to buy ice so I told her she had to wait till I finished thier order. She said no it's her turn and she had a large insta cart order. They knew she was lyng but apologized. She got very rude and went to the next register, an assistant manager that did not see what she did and was helped. She said she waited in line. She did not. She said they took he spot in line, they did not. This community of blue color workers wait politely in line every night after very long shifts at work. They never complain and are polite and patient in difficult times as covid. I was disscusted with this woman to manipulate an already chaotic situation and blame me and rule abiding customers because she didn't feel she should also wait in line. Like I said before. I have never ever had a problem with instacart. They are a joy and happy to be employed. His woman makes your company look very bad. I can't speak for management but I've seen him excuse people from the store for this kind of behavior before. What an entitled little brat. Old enough to know better and should be embarrassed of herself but showed no sign of it. Hope your company doesn't encourage this to make quick sales and deliveries.

I've been using Instacart a lot for about a month since I recently moved and been busy and still have to find stores by me. But i don't think I'll keep using it much. It's fine if you want simple things that you don't care much about. I haven't had issues with being "scammed" or overcharged like many other reviews have, but even without that, it can be frustrating.

Personally, i use Instacart so that I don't have to do work or spend time (or so i thought!). But i end up having to sit next to my phone and answer text messages, calls, inspect photos of things the shoppers send when things are out of stock, or they're asking me "is there anything else from this picture you would like?" Then i have to scroll into pics and looks round the shelf and type out the brand names and it's crazy annoying.

It kinda defeats the purpose for me... and it happens ALOT. Sometimes literally half my order is either replaced or refunded - even simple things that every store has like McCormick salt.

Is it an inventory tracking issue in the app or store? Does their API not get the right things from stores? Does it even intend to show only items in-stock, or does it show general stuff that's never at that store anyway? I have no idea, but it's extremely annoying. And I hate to take it out on the shoppers, my understanding is their wages have been going down, so i assume they're probably trying to work so quickly to increase volume they don't/can't even try?

I just had an order of 4 items - McCormick salt in the grinder, the matching pepper grinder plus their loose pepper, and Creole seasoning.

Literally ordered salt and pepper and 1 seasoned salt, basically.

So of course shop n save didn't have the salt? So that was replaced... ok, kinda weird, but fine. But the shopper also send me a message saying "please approve the remaining replacements." I went and didn't see any other replacements, so i told her that. Then she sent me a picture of the new replacement also for Creole seasoned salt, asking me if the new replacement was ok. It looked like the item i ordered anyway... there's really only 1 kind. So i told her that it's ok, then I double-checked, and it was literally the exact same product that was on my order in the first place. So not only she "replaced" my item with the same one i ordered anyway, but i and to chat back and forth for 5 minutes checking on it.

Was she just scatterbrained or in a rush? Or is Instacart showing different pictures to buyers and shoppers? No idea! But these are CONSTANT issues and I'm not trying to sit here and shop with the shoppers the entire time. The point was it's supposed to SAVE me time, and it simply doesn't.

And then half the time, the thing that's out of stock is the thing you really needed. I order a bag of hot peppers twice from 2 different stores because i was trying to cook something that relies on lots of hot peppers. I added some other things on the order too while i was getting stuff, but then i kept getting hot peppers canceled and refunded. So then i didn't really want the other things anymore... and i never got peppers. I love the IC concept but it's such a hassle. Again, i might use it if i need sugar or something, since i don't care what kind or what brand... but i wouldn't say it's a reliable source for groceries that you actually need.

I do love instacart most of the time. However I've noticed lately instacart has been scamming me. I'll click and order that says 5 miles away. I finish shopping and hit gps to fekiver and it'll jump to 10-15 miles away. And it makes me mad. Because then I have to get back to stores once I'm done causing a 20-30 mile trip for like $15 or less. I just got tricked to doing 30 miles for $14 $10 insta cart and $4 customer. Only to have customer take away tip once delivered.

I called to complain and even tried to file a disputed for money and they refused. Instacart said I was paid correctly for the trip.

Lately I've come to realize I'm only taking ones from now on with bigger batch money than tip. Because people keep taking away tips because items are out of stock. I work so hard on these I go above and beyond I keep contact with all customers.

And to answer soem questions from this thread. For those saying nobody took your order and you've waited hours and then canceled. If the batch pay isn't good and the tip isn't good and you have 30+ items and a long dive from store to your house, news flash nobody wants to take it. Is shoppers don't have to take your order it'll just sit in the app. If you only tip $3 for 50 items and live 4+ miles or more away nobody's going to take it. That's maybe an hour to shop nobody wants to make $13 an hour lmao would you? No. We could be completing shorter batches and making more by the hour.

Two orders cancelled by shoppers on Instacart
We are paying premium prices and membership fees and tips for shoppers. Why should we get less items on our list and be lied to by the shoppers. Their website info is wrong because it shows out of stock items as available. This is how businesses fail. Instacart should know that.
The shoppers are focusing on refunds to customers because they are too lazy to find items.
They are rude or in a hurry to quickly check out. Instacart has no control over their shoppers.

I placed an order on Mar. 28 with Instacart but when delivered the representative claimed that my order could not be completely filled because there was insufficient funds. The amount approved for the order on my credit card was $117. The store receipt was $37.15 however Instacart charged $97.67 to my card. I have tried to contact them by phone and the wait time increases while I'm on hold. I've sent two emails but haven't heard from them.

Several items advertised in larger quantity, I order and, instead, received only 1 item. Very frustrating! See examples attached.

Bad service. Prices are high. I got a gallon of milk from costco instacart that expired on the same day. The instacart service person won't bring you all things in order. It's waste of money.

In addition to the tip, which is important, customers are charged a service fee which varies according to the amount of the bill. I spent $125.and I was charged $11 and change for service fee, that's too much. Whole foods charges less than $10 fixed fee and the customer gets the items in a few hours. I've gotten my items with Instacart on the following day., Which I don't really mind, the service fee is just too much.

First let me start it off like this I am a shopper for instacart with a five star rating. I am very careful to follow all requests from the customer and as professional as possible however I can't say the same for some fellow carters. First things first when we go to the store we handle everything so how I start my day is I wait in my lot for an order to take. Once I pick the order you have to drive to that store it could be 30 min away they don't count that time or distance. When we get to the store about 90% of my orders there is some sort of problem with. They either don't have that item in stock or no longer carry it or they switched packaging so even tho it is the same item and brand it won't go through because it's new packaging. The toilet paper and rolls right now are incredibly hard to find the one the customer order especially if they are picky and want NO SUBSTITUTES. You gotta understand when we get there usually they don't have everything u want it's not our fault it's the store and instacart for not updating there items and inventory timely. I can't tell u how many times I've spent going in stores looking for an item they do not even carry. Shoppers deal with alot and if you think instacart pays us well they do not. They only pay us per trip for gas and wear and tear if even that. We rely on tips and too often the tip is very low like 2 dollars so by the end of the hour I worked I did one order and made like 5 to 7 dollars for an hour. I am not trying to be ungrateful as I still will deliver the orders the same as I would with a big tip. I just wish customers realized we only get paid with tips generally. The platform is very confusing for the shopper when something goes wrong and literally over 90% of my orders go wrong. The item is out of stock or that brand or the item is discontinued or a different size and the customer writes please do not contact for substitutes makes it that much harder to please the customer. Please keep contact with your shopper and communicate you have to understand when we go to the store it's not waiting for us usually very rarely is there just a delivery order it's usually full service. So we have to drive to the store find all the items pack them all up deliver them and bring them to your house nothing is handled for us. So when I go there and they don't have what u want I have to contact you and if you say please do not contact me for subs which it says alot idk if it's generic message or not but then we have to cancel that item when instead I could contact you to find something suitable for you. We are human and different so it's hard to please someone else with absolutely no communication. Items are out of stock frequently or not the same as they show the shopper. Not to mention the biggest thing we are timed every order is timed and not just order but every single item is timed and on our screen we have an average time per item that does affect our star rating and it does affect the quality and amount of orders we receive and since insta prioritizes the time aspect so hard we are under slot of pressure at all times from the moment we push accept to the time we push finish order. So while we are looking for an out of stock item or a item that no longer exists we are getting timed and stressed out especially when we can't even get in contact with the customer to try and remedy the situation. Also the more time we spend on an order the more orders slip away from us and the less money we make in a day. That's why I think alot of shoppers suck because they don't do good under pressure like some of us do. I focus on quality before anything else even if my time is affected but others don't. On average instacart pays us 7 dollars an order and 90% of the time I have to drive about 20 min to the store 10 to 20 min to the customer house and also however long it takes to shop for the order. It's stressful at times and time consuming but I love to help others but please understand we live off tips and when they are low it can make it even more stressful than needed. Also this happens so much that when I get to a customer's house they look at me crazy like who the heck are you and tell me I didn't order anything only for me to contact customer support and they call the customer and they did place an order or it was the wrong address or someone placed an order as a gift and didn't inform the recipient. This job is way more stressful than necessary and when I do door dash which is like half the work because all u do is pick up the order and take it to customer people generally tip alot more than when I do instacart and again have to do the entire thing from start to finish a typical tip for that is 2 dollars and that can make a shopper feel unappreciated or underappreciated especially when things start to get stressful such as missing items / different items in stock but the customer does not want to be contacted. I have not done this and never will but I understand why some of my fellow carters switch to a different platform or are more picky about orders. Just to be 100% honest as a top 5 star carter I get to pick orders first and I usually skip ones with anything under a 5 dollar tip just because the time and effort spent on the order versus the money and appreciation. Some customers are very rude and do not tip at all even sometimes. I have yet to have a customer add an additional tip after the fact. And the other thing is rn it is a pandemic and that doesn't seem to affect anything and actually before all of this people actually seemed to be more generous with tips. Hopefully this has cleared se confusion as to why u have cancelled or subbed items ESPECIALLY FOR TOILET PAPER/ NAPKINS/ PAPER TOWELS ETC... if you don't believe your shopper feel free to check the store because I'm not lying when I say about 90% of my orders are stressful and something goes wrong the other 10% of orders are miracles and very nice and easy but still low pay from instacart. Were not paid more because the order is bigger let's say u have 20 cases of water insta throws an extra 3 dollars for a heavy load that's it. For example tho I had two orders offers for 9 dollars a piece each involved 7 from insta and 2 dollars tip one was for 2 items and one was for 16 way bigger items same place same pay but less work for one of those so I chose the 2 item order. Please be kind to your shopper they deal with alot for unfair wages but it's the only job available for some of us at the moment and we are struggling hence why we work for insta to begin with. Thank you all stay safe and be careful.

U charge for everything. Your shopper get paid even when they claim u don't have item yet I never see refunds back into my account. You don't help me save in any sense. U find plenty reason charge extra at end. Not all shoppers know how pick good items.learn to train them. Return funds and stop overcharge

I love the idea that I can have food delivered to my door, the person who delivered it did a good job and we could work out the kinks in time I can live with $145 a year for delivery and the service charge, that was workable. It was the tip, that pushes it over edge, its an optional 10% 20% no other option. But if there was another option it still pushes the price that extra inch over what Im willing to pay and feeling bad over not tipping will send me to do my own shopping. Bummer

I just received a large delivery of Instacart loose fresh groceries on my front porch area in no bags, boxes or anything. This is my fourth delivery, and first such NEGATIVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. However, now I do recall at my last delivery, the delivery person telling me she founded some bags herself to delivery my groceries. I will cancel my temporary membership to avoid a similar experience when I may not be at home. I am rating Instacart average because my first three experiences were good ones.

I placed an order with instacart for pet supplies, namely fish food. I received a message about a refund for frozen bloodworms and before I could respond (Y/N) I received a message that my shopper has checked out and was on the way. Which resulted in me having to place an additional order to get what I needed. Now I am paying additional delivery fees to ultimately get what I want. This is unacceptable. I have enjoyed the service, but I am not sure how to proceed after today.

I'm disabled so Instacart is a pretty useful. My only concern is the fee's they charge. An order with a food total of $97 ends up costing $125 if you leave a fair tip. I understand the product total, the tax on that total and the delivery drivers tip. My issue is in relation to the service fee and service fee tax. According to the info I can find they charge 5% for Thier service fee and $3.99 for Thier delivery fee. After doing some calculations on my phone I realized that Thier service fee and service fee tax was calculated using the total cost of the groceries I purchased plus the tip I left the shopper. Somehow that doesn't seem right to me.

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.

I love the convenience of someone shopping for me and delivering. I am a working mom of 2 busy young kids. I like Instacart so much that I signed up for monthly service so I wouldn't be charged for each delivery and service fee. I am now very leary if ordering fresh fruit and vegetables due to the last couple of deliveries where I got molded and bad strawberries. Customer service was also terrible. It's so loud in the background I could barely hear the guy I was speaking with. I was told I'd get a credit or refund and it didn't happen. I had to call back. Amazon Prime Now Whole Foods delivery customer service is much better. Just inform them that an item was bad and get automatic refund. Step it up Instacart. There's too much competition

My experience has been hit or miss with Instacart and I say this as far as their ability to select produce / fresh items / meat / poultry / etc. Sometimes they'll grab you the pick of the litter, other times you'll end up with a sad bruised peach. Instacart is usually good about refunding when this happens, and truly the company has been a lifesaver during this whole pandemic. The shoppers are on the front line literally putting their lives on the line to get us our food, so they deserve more than their usual pay during this time.

I am an e! Carly woman on a fixed income. I do not drive and use Instacart. I have a very s! I'm margin at the end of the month and carefully plan my shopping. When I am charged for items I did not receive, it throws my plans off. Instacart did offer to credit me but to reorder these things means I must spend another $35 I do not have at the time.

And use Ins

I love the convenience of Instacart, but their markups are really substantial. I received a store receipt with my order. I was charged $408 by Instacart (not including the tip for the shopper) for $319 of stuff from Costco (based on the store receipt-- I paid damn near $100 for this delivery). Gasp. Oh well, lesson learned-- time to get my lazy butt out there and do my own shopping.

I live in Chicago far far south side and every time I ordered off instacart they send the driver way up north to shop. I that's ridiculist when there the same store literally 3.2 miles from my house make no since to send people halfway across the city