DoorDash doesn’t let you tip NYC drivers without the app

Last week I placed a large dinner order for myself and some friends through DoorDash. There was no way to add a tip when I placed my order, but I wasn’t too concerned — DoorDash assured me I would be able to leave a tip after the order was placed or delivered.

It was the first time I’d used the service since November of last year, and since then DoorDash has made some big changes: In protest of a New York City law guaranteeing a minimum wage for delivery workers, the platform removed the ability to make a payment. Add tip when you place an order. In New York City, customers like me who want to continue tipping must do so after their order has been placed.

It wasn’t until I went back to add a tip to the dinner order that I realized how difficult DoorDash has made the process, even after the initial payment. On the DoorDash website on the web, I searched my receipt and previous order pages looking for a way to add a tip. I looked through my confirmation email for the “add a tip” option. Nothing.

The only way I could add a tip was to message DoorDash support via chat and request that a tip be added manually. Annoyed, I asked why there wasn’t an option to add a tip after payment to the person who personally delivered the food to me, and received a vague answer about how DoorDash performed system updates. The conversation then ended abruptly.

Someone else’s test Edge The reporter found similar barriers to tipping. In the DoorDash app, the “add tip” option will appear at the top when viewing a previous order. But this option is nowhere to be found on the internet. I don’t have and don’t want the DoorDash app, but I would like an easy way to add a tip for my drivers.

DoorDash has an extensive presence even beyond its own app, with some restaurants using the company’s infrastructure on their own sites to process orders. It’s not always clear that DoorDash is involved, but delivery drivers can miss out on tips if there are barriers to adding tips. Take the online ordering page for Han Dynasty, a restaurant in Brooklyn that uses DoorDash. There is no option to tip at checkout; There is also no mention of the option to add a tip afterwards.

DoorDash did not immediately respond to my questions about whether this is a bug or a feature.

DoorDash’s move to allow post-order tipping is the company’s way of drawing outrage over a new $17.96 minimum hourly wage for delivery drivers. In announcing the change in how tipping is done, DoorDash called New York City’s law “poorly thought out” and “extreme.” Delivery drivers previously earned about $7.09 an hour, despite doing dangerous and often thankless work.

“We know that tipping is still an important way for consumers to show Dashers their appreciation, so consumers can still leave a tip after checkout and up to 30 days after ordering,” the company wrote in its announcement about the tipping changes . And yes, it’s true, there is still a way to add a tip to your DoorDash order. The company just makes you jump through hoops for that.