Instacart
Reviews and Complaints

I have been hung up on multiple times, was refused to speak with a supervisor whe asked multiple times, and lied to.

Nandan on 7-11-24 around 9a lied and refused to connect me to a supervisor

Kalpna K ended chat in middle of speaking on 7-24-24 around 11:15a

Bantu made promises on 7-24-24 around 11:30a that ended up being false

Kartik stated she was a supervisor and ended our chat in the middle on 7-26-24 around 10:06 a

Then manager Eric G stated there is no email for instacart. Another lie.

As I delve into the reviews of Instacart.com, I see a wide spectrum of experiences shared by customers. While some praise the convenience and reliability of the service, others express frustration over incorrect orders, late deliveries, and poor customer service. It's evident that Instacart.com has both satisfied and dissatisfied customers, highlighting the importance of managing expectations when using their grocery delivery service. As a potential customer, it's essential to weigh the pros and cons based on these diverse experiences before deciding to use Instacart.com for your grocery needs.

The shoppers forget items in the store or offer poor replacements or just refund you without offering you an option to chose a replacement.If you complaint too many times about missing items they will block your account.You can still make purchases and pay Instacart monthly subscription but no refunds will be issued to you regardless of what took place.They have been sending shoppers lately who speak zero English making the delivery process extremely stressful.Ive been using them since the 2020 pandemic hit .I am disabled and it was convenient but now the service has gone extremely down hill.I will not.longer use them

I had a really bad experience with Instacart recently and I am extremely disappointed with their service. At first, everything was going well and I was earning between $400-$600 a week, which was great. However, about a week ago, everything went wrong. I received a delivery only order, which I had asked to be switched from, but didn't receive a response. They have a habit of sending you outside of your zone, despite being told in orientation that we would only be delivering within 15 minutes of the store we shop at. This was a lie. I was also promised an hourly minimum of $10 to compensate for the time spent without an order, but this was only for the first 20 orders.

When I received the delivery only order, half of the order had to be redone because all of the frozen items had melted. The previous Instacart member had spent over an hour and forty-five minutes trying to deliver the order. When I got to the customer, there was no parking and the customer was requesting that I park in a tow-away zone. I called Shopper Happiness to explain the situation, but they were extremely unprofessional and disrespectful. The first rep hung up on me, the second told me to end my shift and take the reliability issue, and the third told me to take the chance of my car getting towed or end my shift and she would make sure I got a reliability issue. I ended up ending my shift and providing a detailed explanation for my team lead.

However, I received a call saying that my shift was going to be ended because I cursed at a Shopper Happiness rep, which never happened. I tried to contact them multiple times, but received no response. I finally obtained an email for "upper management" and it took them two days to respond with a generic message stating that my account was disabled due to a customer incident. However, I didn't have a completed order that day and the customer was understanding of the situation. When I asked them to pull the calls again, I received an email from the city lead's supervisor stating that my account would be deactivated today because I refused to do delivery only orders, which was another lie.

It seems like they are finding every way possible to replace loyal members with newer, younger members. There are way too many new people and they are not being monitored. They are kicking the good people out and cutting their orders. I would suggest ordering from somewhere else, as they overcharge customers on everything and allow us to use coupons but charge you more than the regular price. Overall, I had a terrible experience with Instacart and would not recommend them.

Yo, so we tried out Instacart for the first time and it was a hot mess, let me tell you. We've used other grocery delivery services before, like Albertsons.com and PeaPod, but this was a whole different level of chaos.

We put in our order around noon for the grocery store right across the street from us. My wife is pregnant and it's tough for her to go grocery shopping right now, so we thought we'd give Instacart a try. We picked the earliest delivery time available, which was 5-6pm.

But then at 4pm, we started getting bombarded with text messages. So many text messages. Apparently, a bunch of the items we wanted were out of stock and the shopper was replacing them with other stuff. And not just similar stuff, either. Like, they were swapping out two single yellow onions for $0.50 with $2.50 worth of sweet onions. And $1 boxes of organic mac and cheese were being replaced with $7 bulk boxes that only had four of the same $1 boxes inside. And a small bag of organic broccoli was being swapped out for a massive non-organic one. We clicked on the links in the messages to try and stop the substitutions, but there were so many links and it was all so confusing. So we called customer service.

The recording said we'd only have to wait five minutes, but it ended up being 12 minutes before Leslie answered. We told her we were new to the service and didn't want any substitutions, but she said we couldn't stop them. We told her to tell the shopper not to buy any substitutions, but she was rude and kept interrupting us. We were so frustrated that we asked her to close our account right then and there.

But it gets worse. I decided to go to the store myself to see if the items were really out of stock. And guess what? They weren't. I found everything I needed, including those two yellow onions that were supposedly out of stock. I even talked to the store manager, who said the shopper didn't ask for help finding anything. I took pictures of the items on the shelves at the same time the shopper was shopping, just to prove it.

When I got home, the shopper had already delivered the order. But there was no receipt and no complete list of items. I'm pretty sure some stuff is missing, but I can't check because I don't have a list. The email they sent us only shows a few items and when we click on the link to see the whole list, it says "ERROR 404 PAGE DOES NOT EXIST." So basically, the shopper charged us for stuff we didn't want, didn't bother to find the stuff we did want, and now we have no way to verify what we were charged for.

I really hope Instacart gets their act together, because this was a terrible experience. There are so many other options out there that are way better.

I had a really bad experience with Instacart when I tried to order groceries online. I ordered $180 worth of groceries from Wegmans.com, which is based in Burlington MA and has a partnership with Instacart for grocery deliveries. Unfortunately, Instacart never delivered my groceries. When I called Wegmans to ask about it, they didn't take any responsibility and told me to contact Instacart instead.

I spent an hour on the phone with Instacart, and eventually they agreed to refund my money to my credit card within 5-10 business days. However, they never actually refunded my money.

In December, I had some free time during Christmas break and decided to call Instacart to find out where my refund was. The person on the phone asked me why I hadn't called sooner, but I explained that I have a full-time job and a family to take care of, so I don't always have time to follow up on things like this. After spending 1.5 hours on the phone with the helpdesk, they said they would submit a ticket to have my refund processed and gave me a ticket number.

The helpdesk person also offered me a $100 credit in my Wegmans account as compensation for the trouble I had been through. I did see the credit come through, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to use it at Wegmans. When I contacted Wegmans about it, they said they didn't give me the credit, and Instacart said they couldn't help because it wasn't their site. So, the goodwill credit was essentially worthless to me.

I've spent over 6 hours on the phone with both Wegmans and Instacart, and neither of them seems to want to take responsibility for the issue. I'm really frustrated because $180 is a lot of money for me, and I feel like Instacart is stealing from me.

One of the issues I've noticed with Instacart is that they seem to be hiring drivers who are incompetent and delivering groceries to the wrong addresses. There doesn't seem to be any system in place to ensure that the groceries are actually delivered to the right place.

Another issue is that their helpdesk is really incompetent. There doesn't seem to be any process in place to ensure that customer issues are actually resolved, and the first-level helpdesk people don't seem to understand English very well. Every time I call, I end up spending 1-2 hours on the phone, and there's still no resolution.

The helpdesk also seems to be giving out fake credits that customers can't actually use, which is really frustrating.

Finally, Instacart seems to be unwilling to refund money in any other way than back to the credit card used in the transaction. They say that the refund will take 5-10 days to process, but they never actually process it. It seems like their business model is to wear down the customer until they give up and let Instacart keep the money without delivering the groceries.

Overall, I've lost faith in Instacart and their employees. I now ask them to email me a ticket to give me proof that they've actually raised my issue with someone in Instacart. If anyone wants to see the emails, I can send them. In the meantime, I'll be sticking with Amazon for my online shopping needs.

I gotta tell ya, I had a real bad experience with Instacart. I had $200 set aside for my family's Thanksgiving groceries and I ordered delivery from Kroger. I'm a senior citizen and disabled, so I can't drive. But then I get a text from Instacart saying they're running 2 hours behind. I chatted with the shopper via text about substitutions, but then it went silent for about 45 minutes. Then I get an email, not a text mind you, saying the driver needs a gate code. I replied via text and email, but then I get another email saying to meet the shopper outside because he can't find me.

So I go downstairs and the gate was propped open, people were moving, and I didn't see anyone in my small half circle driveway entrance/exit in front of my complex. I texted and emailed, "The gate has been open since 8:30pm, my delivery was so delayed it was around 10:15pm. I asked the guys moving how long they had the gate open. Your driver was at the wrong property." Next I get an email saying my order was cancelled! That was our Thanksgiving groceries!

I sent 8 emails to customer service with Instacart to bring my order. You put a pending charge of $169.07 on my credit card that wouldn't drop off for 7-10 days. I called the bank, cc company, you, Instacart starting at 4am day before Thanksgiving. I only had available $30 left of credit to buy Thanksgiving on my card since $169.07 had been deducted for my delivery the night before. A Kroger supervisor, heartless, said the best he would do is give me a $50 credit.

I was furious for so much deception. The only way I could use the $50 was to get delivery! Forcing me to use you and Kroger again when you already had my $169.07. I didn't see the credit of $50 on my account so I called Kroger and was told to type in "I have a $50 credit" on a product instructions for substitutions. I couldn't spend over $30 because I had to put my cc down again and your rep said you wouldn't make any charges. After checkout the $50 would be applied.

This is what happened. You took the amount of groceries from my cc leaving me with no money to buy Thanksgiving and to top it off, you had the audacity to charge me a delivery fee plus driver tip. Subtracted from that "$50 credit". You didn't give me $50. It worked out to be around $35. Once again you also put a pending charge on my cc leaving $3 available credit. You stole my family's Thanksgiving.

I'm sending this to you on Thanksgiving since the only thing I had ingredients to make was a cake and bread in our bread machine. I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving knowing you stole my family's Thanksgiving. We're new to Dallas so we don't have anyone to even help us out. I will be posting this on every social network, Kroger's and Instacart website reviews, App Store, and sending this scam to channel 4.5 and 8.

It is so hard on me when I have 3 sons home from college and can't give them Thanksgiving. I feel so stressed out, anxiety, depressed, like a horrible single parent. This is because, even though both companies knew my money had been blocked for pending, we had no groceries, and we would not have any food for Thanksgiving, YOU DID NOTHING! You should feel embarrassed and ashamed of kicking me to the street.

I want my money released immediately, something to make up for my family not having Thanksgiving except for a cake and loaf of bread, and some type of reprimand to every heartless, horrible customer service employee, like Mary, that I pleaded plus begged to help me, the day before Thanksgiving, to just bring me my groceries. I hope my testimony goes viral on the web and others will share it with all their threads.

It is so unbelievably I can't believe this happened. How does your company pay your bills? What type of consumers use your service? I posted this on FB and a lot of the comments even added your a horrible company to be employee. You treat your drivers that do the shopping like bottom drawer individuals. What's ironic is it actually you that is bottom drawer.

I'm on a fixed income with 3 sons in college, which still did not help escalate this to any authority to solve this problem. I expect a reply that will rectify all the wrong you did to me for Thanksgiving. You should be put out of business. Here's a problem solver a child could get right: why didn't you go get my groceries, since you still had $169.07 pending for you to use, and bring them to me? I don't believe you even had a person shopping for me the night before. Knowing your customer service is the worst, you had already admitted you were running hours behind, I don't believe you even attempted my delivery. The whole "you shopping" was made up. It sure was not because a gate was closed, or your driver didn't have a GPS.

Another possibility, having gotten so many comments on Facebook, your driver could have just quit their job to burn you since you treat them so bad. You are such a "wrong", "worse", "joke" of a company the possibility's are endless of who despises and has a payback towards you. I wonder how many of your bills are in the third and last notice status to keep your lights on. Regardless there's something not right because no one can succeed treating other people like what you did to my family, and me, on Thanksgiving.

May you file for bankruptcy!

I recently used Instacart to order groceries for my family's vacation at Walt Disney World. I placed orders with both Publix and BJ's and selected a delivery window of 10am-11am. However, when I arrived at the resort at 11am and called Bell Services to bring up my groceries, I discovered that several crucial items were missing, including diapers and water bottles for the park. Three items were missing from my Publix order, and my entire BJ's order was missing. I was charged for all of these items, despite not receiving them.

When I checked the Instacart app, there was no notice of a delay with my BJ's order or any explanation for the missing Publix items. I called customer service and was informed that my BJ's order had never been shopped for. The representative said they would send out a new shopper as soon as possible to shop for those items. However, I was also missing items from my Publix order, including the diapers I needed for my baby. I was told that I couldn't get the Publix items re-shopped for until the BJ's order was delivered, even though the BJ's order hadn't even been shopped for yet.

I was frustrated and angry, as my entire family was waiting to go to the parks at Disney World, and I couldn't go because I was dealing with Instacart customer service. I was offered a $5 credit for all of these issues, which I found insulting. I asked to speak to a manager, but was told that they couldn't shop for my missing items until the BJ's order was delivered. I was offered a little more money, but it was still insulting. I asked to speak to another manager, who ultimately offered me $35 back and promised to get all the missing items to me as soon as possible.

When I got home, I discovered that the $35 credit had been added to my Instacart account, not my credit card. I emailed customer service, but received no response. When I called, I was told that the credit goes to my Instacart account. I was frustrated and angry, as I had told Kevin that I would never use their company again, so why would he put it as a credit to my account with them? I wanted the money back on my credit card.

I had to call again and explain everything that had happened to a representative, who transferred me to a specialist. I had to explain everything again, and the specialist said she was going to issue me the $35 credit to my cart but needed to confirm something first and put me on hold. After 40 minutes on the phone, I was disconnected and had to start all over again. The new representative told me that the $35 credit was an appeasement for my next order, but I told him I was not ordering again after all this. I am still waiting for a resolution and plan to dispute my credit card charges if this does not get resolved.

Overall, I had a terrible experience with Instacart. Their customer service is a disgrace, and their business practices are laughable. I was credited $5 for missing diapers, which is ridiculous because diapers cost way more than $5 in the parks. I would warn others not to use this company and to save themselves the time, stress, frustration, and money by going with someone else for their grocery needs.

Hey guys, I just wanted to share my experience with InstaCart. As a busy person, I was excited about the idea of having groceries delivered to my doorstep at a time that was convenient for me. Unfortunately, I can't say that I would recommend this service based on my experiences. Here's why:

Firstly, in the eight times that I used InstaCart, there were mistakes or unacceptable substitutions made every single time. On paper, the company has several ways to prevent this from happening, but in my experience, they didn't work. Theoretically, you can communicate directly with your shopper, request a phone call before checkout, approve or deny substitutions, and even add items to your list in real-time while the person is shopping. However, in reality, I would receive a message from my shopper indicating that they had started shopping, and then a message or two saying that they had made a substitution. Finally, each time, they would finalize the order and checkout before I could approve or deny the change. I'm talking about a window of less than a minute to respond before they would close the order. The substitutions were sometimes okay, but several times they were not acceptable for various reasons. Also, several times the shopper simply got the wrong item. For example, I requested sage and seltzer water but got rosemary and tonic water, respectively. Frequently, I would select a specific item on the website/app, but then the shopper would indicate that the item was out of stock, and another similar item would be substituted. Most recently, the shopper said fresh broccoli was out of stock. Really? Wegmans had zero broccoli? Hard to believe. But they did send me a 3lb bag of prepared broccoli crowns for double the price. Acceptable? Sort of.

Two out of the eight deliveries were late. You can specify a one-hour window between 9 am-9 pm. But on trip #1, my initial order, they were 15 minutes late. No big deal. On order #7, they were 1.5 HOURS late. You read that correctly. I specified the 9-10 am delivery window, and the food came at 11:30 am. I couldn't wait any longer at home, so I left at 11:15 am and texted the driver to leave the bags by my side door, which she did neatly.

Customer service phone calls were both pleasant and frustrating. The reps were very polite and apologized profusely but had no real way to solve the problem. They would say, "Oh, that's not right, you should be able to have the shopper call you before she checks out" or "you should be able to communicate with your shopper in real-time" etc. But unfortunately, the problems persisted. When items were missed or improperly substituted, they would apologize but would not deliver the proper item to me to solve the problem. Instead, each time I complained, they would offer me $5 off my next order plus they would refund the cost of the erroneous item(s). While that's reasonable, if any of those items were critical items, I'd have to then go to the store myself to get a single item. Clearly, this defeats the purpose of paying for a grocery delivery service. I found myself tensing up every time they were shopping, wondering what was going to be missed or wrong on this order. That's not helpful for me based on why I was using InstaCart.

Finally, there's the cost of the program. You can choose $12 a month for an annual plan or $15 on a month-to-month basis. I did the latter, and I'm glad I did. (You can also do no plan and just pay a one-time fee for a single delivery anytime you want). With both plans, you get "unlimited" deliveries during that time. HOWEVER, when I examined the bill, I noticed that InstaCart was not costing me only $15 a month. There were other charges PER ORDER such as $3.50 driver tip, $3.50 service charge (theoretically for software support costs), and a general markup on the cost of every item. Assuming I placed one order a week, I'd be spending over $10 per order more than if I went to the store myself. This adds up to over $40 a month IN ADDITION to the $15 a month I'm paying for the "service plan". So $55+ a month extra for unreliable service and possibly missed items?

I really wanted to LOVE InstaCart. I've been waiting for years for home grocery delivery to come to my area, Buffalo, BY. I also believe that this has the potential to be the wave of the future. But not today. Not in Buffalo.

I think that one simple change would make it all better for me: if InstaCart would deliver missed items to my door with the next driver going to my area. I'm reasonable. Mistakes happen. But right now, the customer is the one on the hook when mistakes are made. And that isn't right. InstaCart should fix their own training and problem-solving internally. And when they make mistakes (which was constantly), they should have fixed the problem by delivering the grocery item to my house, thereby completing the order for which I paid them.

If you are considering InstaCart, I recommend trying either the monthly plan for one month and see how it works for you in your area OR consider using the single-use order option for special situations like when you're sick or traveling or arriving home late on a Sunday and need food for the week, etc.

Good luck and happy shopping! Please consider sharing this review with your friends and families so others can learn about my experience. Maybe I can save others some trouble.

I've been using Instacart for about a week and a half now, and let me tell you, it's been a rollercoaster ride. I decided to give it a try because I wanted to help out those who can't leave their homes due to illness or old age, as well as those who are trying to avoid going out for their own safety. But boy, have I run into some issues.

First of all, let me say that not all shoppers are dishonest. In fact, most of us are just trying to do our best. But there are some things that are out of our control. For example, the batches we see on the app can contain orders from multiple customers at the same store, and they disappear within seconds. I've accepted batches that had three customers' orders in them, and it's been a nightmare.

One time, I had to wait in line outside of a store in the rain because they were only allowing a certain number of shoppers inside at once. If I didn't select "start shopping" within a certain amount of time, I would lose the batch. But if I did select it and then had to wait in line for a long time, it would affect my time and rating. And that's not even the worst of it.

The app freezes and crashes all the time. It loses connectivity during shopping, which means I can't see the list of items I need to buy. Sometimes it doesn't display the aisle or lists the wrong aisle for an item. And the scanner doesn't always read the item correctly, which means I have to enter it manually.

Customers can also be a problem. They often request new items via chat, which can go missing if the app loses connection. And they don't always approve or decline replacement items, which delays my shopping and delivery time. And sometimes they get upset if certain items are out of stock, even though it's not my fault.

One time, a batch that should have taken an hour ended up taking four hours because of app and customer issues. But I didn't want those families to go without the food they ordered, so I stuck with it.

And let's talk about pay. We only get paid about $0.30 for each "unique item," which means we don't get paid for every single item that's ordered. And if an item is out of stock and not replaceable, we don't get paid for it even though we still have to do all the work.

There are also times when customers want to cancel their entire order while I'm in the process of checking out. But I can't cancel it from my side of the app. And if there's an issue with the app or a customer, the batch/order can remain open until I can get a hold of customer service. And let me tell you, that's not easy. The phone number is disconnected, so the only way to reach them is via chat. And I've been on hold for up to 17 hours before.

All of these issues mean that I'm losing time, gas, phone battery, and data. And I'm not making as much money as I should be. It's frustrating, to say the least.

And let's talk about tips. Customers will tip a bartender or server 15-20% of their total bill, but they'll only leave a $2 tip for someone who's driving to a store that's 10+ miles away, waiting in line, dealing with bad weather, and carrying their groceries to their door. It's not fair.

Overall, Instacart has been a mixed bag for me. I want to help people, but the app and customer issues make it difficult. And the pay and tips aren't always fair. But I'll keep trying, because I know there are people out there who need my help.

This review is pretty long, but I gotta tell you, Instacart is a total joke. I had so many problems with them for almost two weeks. My dad used my account to make a purchase, but then he made his own account. After his first order, Instacart canceled it and deactivated his account. We called to ask why, but they kept changing their story. First they said it was because his order was too big, then they said it was because of fraud. We tried to confirm our identity over the phone, but they wouldn't let us reactivate his account that way. Instead, they asked him to send his driver's license and credit card over email, which is ridiculous. I can confirm my identity over the phone with my bank, so why can't I do it with Instacart?

They also deleted my dad's credit card from my account because it was "flagged". I tried to add a new payment method, but I kept getting an error code. I called them again and they said it was just an issue with their system and to try again later. When I called again, they said I was using the wrong web browser. I tried everything, but nothing worked. Finally, they said they would escalate the issue and someone would contact me in 24-48 hours. But no one did. I called again and the customer service agent said someone closed our case without speaking to us. She said we didn't have to send our driver's license and credit card over email and promised to get back to me in 24 hours. But she never did.

I called back two days later and asked to speak to a manager. The customer service agent tried to get me to end the call and agree to another callback, but I refused. I sat on hold for an hour before a manager finally got on the line. He said these issues can take at least a week to fix, even though they originally said 24-48 hours. He said the problems in both accounts would be dealt with by the following week.

A week later, I got an email saying MY account was deactivated. I called customer service and they said they didn't have any information for me. I asked to speak to a manager and he said it was because the bank hadn't verified our info yet. But when I questioned him more, he said it was because we hadn't emailed our driver's licenses and credit cards. I told him we didn't want to send sensitive information like that over email and that an Instacart employee told us we didn't have to. He said that employee was mistaken and our accounts wouldn't be reactivated until we sent the info. I asked why my account was deactivated and he said it was because it was related to my dad's account. But our accounts are completely separate, except for the credit card my dad used on my account. I couldn't change the credit card because Instacart wouldn't let me add a different payment method.

The manager refused to listen to me and just kept saying our accounts wouldn't be activated until we sent the info. He said we were causing Instacart to take so long to resolve the problem. He said it was just common sense to send the info over email. I told him he was being rude and unprofessional, but he just laughed and denied it. I asked to speak to someone above him, but he said he was as high as I could go. So I told him to delete both our accounts and we wouldn't use Instacart anymore.

Leaving Instacart was just common sense. Beware of this company and use at your own risk.

I am a shopper for Instacart and I have a five-star rating. I take pride in following all requests from the customer and being as professional as possible. However, I can't say the same for some of my fellow carters. When we go to the store, we handle everything. So, how I start my day is by waiting in my lot for an order to take. Once I pick the order, I have to drive to that store, which could be 30 minutes away. They don't count that time or distance.

When we get to the store, about 90% of my orders have some sort of problem. They either don't have that item in stock, no longer carry it, or they switched packaging. So, even though 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, especially if the customer is picky and wants NO SUBSTITUTES. You gotta understand that when we get there, usually they don't have everything you want. It's not our fault; it's the store and Instacart for not updating their items and inventory timely. I can't tell you how many times I've spent going in stores looking for an item they do not even carry.

Shoppers deal with a lot, 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, which makes it that much harder to please the customer. Please keep contact with your shopper and communicate. You have to understand that 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 you want, I have to contact you. And if you say please do not contact me for subs, which it says a lot, I don't know if it's a 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 is we are timed. Every order is timed, and not just the order, but every single item is timed. 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 Instacart prioritizes the time aspect so hard, we are under a lot 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 an 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 a lot 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 minutes to the store, 10 to 20 minutes to the customer's 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 DoorDash, which is like half the work because all you do is pick up the order and take it to the customer, people generally tip a lot more than when I do Instacart. And again, I 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 of 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 right now, it is a pandemic, and that doesn't seem to affect anything. And actually, before all of this, people seemed to be more generous with tips. Hopefully, this has cleared some confusion as to why you have canceled 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.

We're not paid more because the order is bigger. Let's say you have 20 cases of water. Instacart throws an extra 3 dollars for a heavy load. That's it. For example, though, I had two order offers for 9 dollars a piece. Each involved 7 from Instacart 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 a lot 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 Instacart to begin with. Thank you all, stay safe, and be careful.

I've been using Instacart for over 100 times now, and at first, it seemed like the company was still trying to get the hang of things with all the different employees. However, I've always been communicated with if there are any refunds or replacements needed for any of the items I ordered. And the replacements are always exactly what I would have wanted or bought myself. As long as you simply state in the notes for the shoppers, you shouldn't end up with any unwanted items or brands.

I mean, imagine just how frustrating it has to be to try as hard as you can to pray at each and every store these poor shoppers have to go to, let alone deal with on a daily basis! Not to mention, these particular "stores" also don't ever specify online while ordering to their good customers that each and every individual location of stores carry different brands/items. They're not all the same.

I continuously thank my shoppers if they're professional and staying in touch with me about any item occurrences, if any, that they're going out and physically going out on their own gas and wear and tear of their own vehicles, not to mention while not getting reimbursed for barely half their time/gas. We really gotta try to put ourselves in their own shoes too, people!

If it takes over an hour, let's think, does it always take you just under an hour to shop for yourself?! Not me, rarely. Not to mention, these workers are timed, they have no control whatsoever if/when any of their customers order items that will even be carried at the store they're sent to, rather also just plain old the store not carrying certain items or just being out of stock. I've seen it myself, some of you customers won't even leave them a tip regardless!? It certainly isn't anyone's fault but these certain stores if they're out of stock.

I had quite a few long talks with quite a few of my favorite shoppers, and they love their jobs. But I'm really wondering how the heck they live off of their tiny paychecks that usually have hardly any, if at all any tips to go with their shopping orders and deliveries! I just wonder how some people really have any real common sense anymore these days. If you're needing/using a business's services, especially if it's a delivery, including grocery shopping for some of these picky, never satisfied customers, it's only morally ethical you leave the poor hard workers a tip!

I just see those of you "pissed" off customers, just a thought, have you ever thought about what they're going through on a daily basis to serve us and try and make certain customers of us that are never satisfied, satisfied?! Poor shoppers, I have had such great, professional, reliable, caring shoppers I couldn't be more satisfied!

I just had to vent a little because I know first-hand what it's like, and I personally give them a ton of credit. So please, before you go badmouthing these hard-working people who are busting their butts just to be on time and trying with all their might to get your frustratingly ridiculous orders exactly right to a tee without God forbid having to bother you and being on time too! Please, for the love of God, take into account how frustrating it is on a daily basis you going and trying your absolute hardest and best to do it all by yourself and the overwhelming never-ending problems we encounter ourselves, like having to try to deal with certain employees at these grocery stores too.

Then again, maybe some of you should try yourself to make sure and get every single item exactly brand/size, etc., you need! Well, actually, some stranger you know nothing about, having to pray these stores have everything their customers are wanting/needing along with all of it being in stock while being timed and trying to get through a lane at checkout fast, not to mention bagged specifically right to someone else's specifications. Then dealing with putting it all away in hot/cold bags and delivering before the cutoff time?!

The final and last thing I couldn't even want to begin to try is delivering to an apartment building where the customer leaves no gate code, building number, not to mention when the shopper calls you, oh my, then the dang smart customer won't even answer the call! I've seen certain things some of you would never believe. The best one yet, some of you people claim you never receive even half of your order when the shoppers had to individually scan each and every item specifically you ordered, or they get past checkout with the right total to put on the company's card or it doesn't go through!

I've also seen a lot of you say on the app one of your items was a "poor replacement." First off, did you happen to get any calls or texts from your shopper, and you didn't answer back? LOL, that would be your own fault. Certain stores, if you people ever shop yourself, only offer one or two different brands if certain items, if we're lucky! Ever think it was the only replacement available maybe, probably not!? I hear so many try so hard, and customers leave them hanging and of course then complain afterward!

All I've to say is common sense isn't a flower in which grows in everybody's garden! Lol But really, at least tip these poor shoppers, people, my goodness! Would you order something online, have someone else do all your dirty work, on top of delivering on time or showing up early because you literally were running for this random person's order, and then at the end of course end up with no tip after you carried all their groceries inside and put them wherever the customer preferred and weird wanted them, also not to mention double bagging all bags so all your hot/cold food stayed that way!

Thanks, Instacart, your Tempe shoppers are absolutely terrific and professional and very courteous! I would hate to lose your services; I would be unrightfully lost and super sad! A very thankful and happy lifetime customer!

Sorry, guys, but some of you needed to hear this! This is one of the best shopper services I could've ever wished for, and y'all need to be thankful for certain employees who are always going above and beyond and bending over backward. Huh, hmmnn, Instacart! :)

If you place an order it’s placed with local store not further away like Walmart. I can see if I placed order for a store that is further away to get charged but not knowing that it will come from another store further away is misleading. We dont know this till it’s on its way. Also on one of my orders the tip was changed without me changing it. Also not sure what this in the photo all this additional charges

Costco was placed on April 19th, 2024 and delivered on April 19th, 2024 at 3:06 PM

Instacart Order Id: [protected]

I placed a Costco order via instacart and I did not receive it. I have reached out to about 6 agents via chat and then called instacart twice to speak to the agents and none helped at all with my issue. I requested a full refund from Instacart for my missing order but they sent me and email refusing to refund me and that was the final word I received from instacart. Ever since I have tried contacting them over and over and nothing has been helpful. My last step is to file a chargeback with the bank.

MISTREATED, DEGRADED AND DISRESPECTFUL. I had a terrible experience with Instacart. I paid a delivery fee for $4 and service fee of $8. 30% of my order was not fulfilled. Many of the items were either missing or rotten. When I raised a complaint against it, Instacart blacklisted my account that I can't get a refund anymore. This is against the costumer violation and disrespectful. There are better services available outside. Don't use their service.

I ordered pickup with Aldi using instacart and my shopper stated that the family pack of chicken was unavailable so they got me one pack of regular chicken. I asked them how many were in a pack and they replied right away “6”. I then immediately responded please get 2 packages (we are a large family of 6). Then 10 minutes later without a reply the shopper checked out without getting the extra package of chicken. I then called the provided number for instacart and the representative basically said they cannot help me and I would have to get the package myself. I have 4 kids and one of the kids is a newborn and that is why I did not want to go inside the store. I am very disappointed in the customer service response and also the shopper ignoring my request. This will be my last time using instacart or pick up.

I purchased an Instacart+ subscription on Dec 26th. After purchasing it and my first grocery order I was unable to access my account. This is not due to a forgotten password or incorrect email. Typically when I sign into Instacart I'm given the option to choose between my personal profile or my business profile. This was no longer the case. My business profile has completely disappeared. That is the profile that holds my instacart+ subscription. I contacted the help line via phone and the chat option online, several times. I was referred to the technical support team..Twice. Once I explain my issue to anyone at Instacart I get radio silence. No responses. One member of the support team just told me there was nothing I could do and to purchase another membership. I was charged $111.87 on Dec 26th and I have been unable to access my account since nor have I received any assistance from anyone at Instacart to help rectify the situation.

My wife Tracy Rossitto is a mother of three and a school teacher. She is also an alcoholic who is at the point where she calls Instacart to deliver bottles of vodka because she can’t function enough to drive down the road. She might have a fighting chance if she didn’t have the convenience of Instacart feeding her addiction. Please stop delivering her alcohol and helping her destroy her family and her life. Thank you, Matt Rossitto

I ordered from Keyfood on 1/4/24. I have the receipt. the receipt is from store 1264. cashier Owen,

the time was 18:56

Here is the itemized receipt.

2/4.00 diet 7 up 2 litter .05 single deposit

Two Good greek yogurt $6.29

2/4.00 diet 7 up 2 litter .05 single deposit

2/4.00 diet 7 up 2 litter .05 single deposit

Phili Chive whipped $5.99

Sargento swiss $5.79

Turkey bologna $4.69

Subtotal $30.96

tax .71

Total $31.67

my receipt from instacart was much more. I believe It was over $53.00

John Thelen [protected] Johnthelen1961yahoo.com signed up under promotion link email sent by me Annette Robb [protected] annetterobbyahoo.com

Typed in proper referral code twice on application

Complete requirements & still John or I have not received bonus money.

Attached are several chats conversations.

This is so wrong!

I referred John in good faith and everything requested was completed. Instacart has not followed thru with their promise.

Order through instacart

Dec 30 approx time1 pm

4 items refunded

5 items replacements

1 item 50% filled

Cost me to have delivery

Due to not getting everything I need I will have to reorder and pay delivery and service charges again

I am blind, cant drive and depend on delivery

This is the second time this has happened

I do not plan on every shopping food basics again.

I will go to walmart who I dislike in future at least they have most items shown on the website

I am complaining about a spoiled duck i purchased and they wouldn't give me a refund. Because i have request several refund because i have been getting out of dated items and defected. I think i am entitled to my refund because store are not supposed to be selling rotten meat. That is the law but if you don't return my refund i am taking you to court