A Texas Uber Eats driver became frustrated when a customer reduced their tip after ordering $143 worth of food, including five cases of water.
In a TikTok video, Dawn Garza was caught in a heated argument with a customer named Eric. She accused him of “tip baiting,” a practice where customers inflate their tips to secure a driver but then decrease them before delivery.
In the video, Garza confronts Eric at his workplace, questioning why the initial $21 tip was reduced to zero. She claimed that “tip baiting” is a common practice customers use to secure quick delivery while minimising costs.
Uber Eats Driver Accuses Customer Of Tip Baiting
Garza stated that customers have frequently engaged in tip baiting, and she urged Uber Eats to implement a more effective system to prevent tip reductions. After delivering the $143 Target order to a DART facility in Dallas, Garza was notified that her tip had been reduced.
She returned to the building and complained to an unidentified female employee, stating that she was only paid $5.59 for a trip that should have earned her approximately $21. Eric insisted that he had not accessed the app since she delivered his order.
He explained that he was unsure how to proceed and had not received any notifications from Uber Eats after the delivery. Garza claimed that Uber Eats sent her a message expressing their sincere apologies and confirming that Eric had reduced the tip.
She provided screenshots from Uber Eats that supported her claim. “He says he didn’t know what I’m talking about, but Uber says otherwise,” Garza wrote.
Uber Innovations, Constant Challenges
Since its launch in 2014, Uber Eats has been dedicated to enhancing customer experiences.
As part of this commitment, the online food delivery platform showcased drone delivery at the Forbes 30 Under 30 summit in 2019 and introduced robot deliveries in Tokyo earlier this year. Despite these advancements, the company still needs to address tip baiting.
Tip baiting occurs when customers place orders on delivery apps like Uber Eats or DoorDash with inflated tips, only to decrease or remove them after receiving their food. A common motivation for tip baiting is encouraging drivers to prioritise their orders.
The practice of tip baiting is becoming increasingly prevalent in the food delivery industry, and even Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi fell victim to it while working undercover in California.
Uber CEO Secret Stint As A Driver
The top executive told The Wall Street Journal that he secretly became an Uber driver in September of the previous year to gain firsthand insights into the employee experience during recruitment challenges.
He purchased a used Tesla Model Y to transport passengers and deliver food in San Francisco under the alias “Dave K.” While the app encountered various operational difficulties, Khosrowshahi was taken aback by some customers’ behaviour.
The Journal reported that specific experiences, such as passengers discussing personal problems or sensitive corporate information as if they were alone in the car, left him feeling slighted. During his food deliveries on an electric bike, Khosrowshahi frequently encountered tip baiting.
According to Insider, five Uber drivers recently interviewed reported regularly experiencing rudeness, a lack of tips, late arrivals, and requests for stops at drive-thrus or convenience stores. Khosrowshahi’s undercover work was part of a larger initiative, “Project Boomerang,” which aimed to attract more drivers to the app.
In response to these findings, Uber implemented several changes, including a unified sign-up process for rides and deliveries, the ability for drivers to view drop-off locations before pickup, and the distribution of hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses.
Khosrowshahi informed The Journal that some drivers had returned to the platform due to economic concerns, which had not affected rider demand at the time. Meanwhile, TikTok users have suggested that Garza explore other delivery apps like DoorDash or Instacart.
