[TeleSki]

Do any of you ever encounter restaurant staff directing you to “confirm” pickup by withholding the food until you show them on your phone app screen that you’ve slid from the pickup screen to the customer delivery address screen? I’m in the Philly market. Several restaurants’ staff tell us to do that. Recently, I’ve begun to blow off some of their requests/ demands.

What is their purpose in making these requests/ demands? Do they think that procedure absolves them if the customer says the driver never delivered to them?

What I dislike is this procedure skips past the driver’s rating of the restaurant with thumb up or down (and reasons). I enjoy bashing restaurants with negative feedback when they deserve it, even if Uber unlikely will do anything about it. It’s my primary consolation for putting up with some of these places, short of declining or cancellation.

I recently considered a solution to rate them first, then slide the screen for them, and pick up the food. I doubt they know, care, or take the time to notice that my screen would show them a thumbs down with my reported issues. They’re usually too busy for that sort of thing.

The one lady asked me to slide my screen for her. She already had given me the order. I replied, “No, that’s alright” and i left to deliver it.

Most recently, I had two orders at the same slow soul food restaurant. They have a “help wanted” sign on the door for all types of staff because the place is a dive. They also have a sign requiring everyone to wait out on the sidewalk due to COVID-19.

I waited in my car for awhile. Then I joined the huddled masses. The lady eventually gave me one order after calling out the name (“Andre”). Notably, she did not ask me to show her that name on my phone screen. The one for “Gary” wasn’t ready yet. I put the one order for Andre in my car, waited for another stretch, and returned to the huddled masses.

The lady was putzing around inside the restaurant and ignoring us. I walked up into the doorway and saw her table inside with a tied bag marked “Gary.” I called out to her that I can take that order off the table. She refused and told me to go back outside!

She turned her back to me. I went and grabbed the bag anyway. She turned around, ran over to me, told me to give bag the bag, and I did! She claimed she was “busy” doing something else when I asked her what her problem was. She proceeded to get smart with me, saying something about my mother not having taught me to do things like that.

Then, to make more show out of it, she asked to see my app screen for “Gary.” I showed it to her. She asked me to slide it to the delivery address screen. I refused, waved her off, and returned to my car. She told me she will get another driver anyway. I kept walking. I canceled my pickup for Gary for excess wait time. The delivery drive for Andre was like 25 minutes anyway.

Next day, I called Uber Support to complain about the restaurant and the procedure to demand sliding the pickup screen before I rate them. Support gave me a $5.00 credit for the cancelled order for Gary and claimed they would investigate this question for me. Never heard back from them on that. I’m satisfied with the $5.00 consolation and my belated notion just to rate the restaurant pre-pickup rather than waste my time bickering and declining pickups.

Yes. I have a number restaurants that do it. I feel like telling them "i don't tell you how to do your job. Don't tell me how to do mine". I understand why they do it, though. It's because they've had too many drivers pick up the orders, then not deliver them, and then they have angry customers.

 

[Ms. Mercenary]

I don’t care. I’ll swipe. No big deal.

 

[dgates01]

I don’t care. I’ll swipe. No big deal.

Ditto. Too many people trying to find too many things to get upset about. I think I've only been asked one time.

I generally wait until I get in the car to start the delivery, just in case an additional pickup from the same place or somewhere nearby comes through.

 

[painfreepc]

 

[Ms. Mercenary]

View attachment 678308

Are you 15?!?! 😂

 

[NauticalWheeler]

I've been doing this for a long, long time and had HEARD about this, but only experienced it for the first time last week AND they wanted me to physically sign a sign-in sheet with columns for things like "# of items, # of drinks". It was absurd 😆

It was a Wingstop in kind've a gross area. Probably @Uberyouber 's local Wingstop.

 

[Atavar]

If it were me I would walk away, sit down and let support know the restaurant refused to give me the order.

 

[dgates01]

I've been doing this for a long, long time and had HEARD about this, but only experienced it for the first time last week AND they wanted me to physically sign a sign-in sheet with columns for things like "# of items, # of drinks". It was absurd 😆

It was a Wingstop in kind've a gross area. Probably @Uberyouber 's local Wingstop.

I've seen the same thing at the Wingstop's here. I just scribble down something. It's way overthinking things on their part. Like a person coming in to steal food is going to be thwarted by that. They'd scribble something too and then off with the free food.

 

[Ms. Mercenary]

I've been doing this for a long, long time and had HEARD about this, but only experienced it for the first time last week AND they wanted me to physically sign a sign-in sheet with columns for things like "# of items, # of drinks". It was absurd 😆

It was a Wingstop in kind've a gross area. Probably @Uberyouber 's local Wingstop.

Did you make them unseal the bag and demonstrate every item?

 

[FLKeys]

Did you make them unseal the bag and demonstrate every item?

Exactly. Food is supposed to be in sealed bags, I have no idea whats in there.

As far as signing for orders one restaurant started that a while back, I would always sign it "This is Stupid" after a few weeks they stopped asking for signatures.

 

[BikeVancouverBC]

We have a few places in Vancouver BC that ask to start delivery before they hand you the food, and I am totally fine with that. Better than biking to get a good order only to find out that someone else "already picked it up". There was this hilarious situation once in A&W - I come in to pick up, tell the girl the name of the customer, she is quite confused, points at a guy standing near me and says: "he already picked it up". Turns out the guy picked it up, cancelled, but stayed inside waiting for another order (perhaps, on a different platform). He just gave me my order, and that was it.

 

[Ms. Mercenary]

Compared to signing - which I’m just not gonna do - I don’t care. I’ll slide.

 

[bob498tc]

If they don't ask for Id or anything,it annoys me.
I just signed uber eats or Bob Smith.

 

[ColonyMark]

yes that happens sometimes. I assume they do that to keep from getting scammed. I don’t mind doing it. It’s not difficult.
In the big picture of life, sliding the slider is not a big problem.

 

[smme1025]

Do any of you ever encounter restaurant staff directing you to “confirm” pickup by withholding the food until you show them on your phone app screen that you’ve slid from the pickup screen to the customer delivery address screen? I’m in the Philly market. Several restaurants’ staff tell us to do that. Recently, I’ve begun to blow off some of their requests/ demands.

What is their purpose in making these requests/ demands? Do they think that procedure absolves them if the customer says the driver never delivered to them?

What I dislike is this procedure skips past the driver’s rating of the restaurant with thumb up or down (and reasons). I enjoy bashing restaurants with negative feedback when they deserve it, even if Uber unlikely will do anything about it. It’s my primary consolation for putting up with some of these places, short of declining or cancellation.

I recently considered a solution to rate them first, then slide the screen for them, and pick up the food. I doubt they know, care, or take the time to notice that my screen would show them a thumbs down with my reported issues. They’re usually too busy for that sort of thing.

The one lady asked me to slide my screen for her. She already had given me the order. I replied, “No, that’s alright” and i left to deliver it.

Most recently, I had two orders at the same slow soul food restaurant. They have a “help wanted” sign on the door for all types of staff because the place is a dive. They also have a sign requiring everyone to wait out on the sidewalk due to COVID-19.

I waited in my car for awhile. Then I joined the huddled masses. The lady eventually gave me one order after calling out the name (“Andre”). Notably, she did not ask me to show her that name on my phone screen. The one for “Gary” wasn’t ready yet. I put the one order for Andre in my car, waited for another stretch, and returned to the huddled masses.

The lady was putzing around inside the restaurant and ignoring us. I walked up into the doorway and saw her table inside with a tied bag marked “Gary.” I called out to her that I can take that order off the table. She refused and told me to go back outside!

She turned her back to me. I went and grabbed the bag anyway. She turned around, ran over to me, told me to give bag the bag, and I did! She claimed she was “busy” doing something else when I asked her what her problem was. She proceeded to get smart with me, saying something about my mother not having taught me to do things like that.

Then, to make more show out of it, she asked to see my app screen for “Gary.” I showed it to her. She asked me to slide it to the delivery address screen. I refused, waved her off, and returned to my car. She told me she will get another driver anyway. I kept walking. I canceled my pickup for Gary for excess wait time. The delivery drive for Andre was like 25 minutes anyway.

Next day, I called Uber Support to complain about the restaurant and the procedure to demand sliding the pickup screen before I rate them. Support gave me a $5.00 credit for the cancelled order for Gary and claimed they would investigate this question for me. Never heard back from them on that. I’m satisfied with the $5.00 consolation and my belated notion just to rate the restaurant pre-pickup rather than waste my time bickering and declining pickups.

Unlike one other person suggested, I don't feel it's always just resistance or dislike toward "being told what to do." I can't speak for anyone else, but in my area, the irritation with this "confirming" where they can see it is with the attitude they get when it comes to that. In my market, the ones who do it, even to drivers who've successfully picked up and delivered from them multiple times before, want to "watch" to "make sure" as if they are superior to us or think that we so severely handicapped that we might not be able to "handle" ourselves and that's what I won't accept.

Do any of you ever encounter restaurant staff directing you to “confirm” pickup by withholding the food until you show them on your phone app screen that you’ve slid from the pickup screen to the customer delivery address screen? I’m in the Philly market. Several restaurants’ staff tell us to do that. Recently, I’ve begun to blow off some of their requests/ demands.

What is their purpose in making these requests/ demands? Do they think that procedure absolves them if the customer says the driver never delivered to them?

What I dislike is this procedure skips past the driver’s rating of the restaurant with thumb up or down (and reasons). I enjoy bashing restaurants with negative feedback when they deserve it, even if Uber unlikely will do anything about it. It’s my primary consolation for putting up with some of these places, short of declining or cancellation.

I recently considered a solution to rate them first, then slide the screen for them, and pick up the food. I doubt they know, care, or take the time to notice that my screen would show them a thumbs down with my reported issues. They’re usually too busy for that sort of thing.

The one lady asked me to slide my screen for her. She already had given me the order. I replied, “No, that’s alright” and i left to deliver it.

Most recently, I had two orders at the same slow soul food restaurant. They have a “help wanted” sign on the door for all types of staff because the place is a dive. They also have a sign requiring everyone to wait out on the sidewalk due to COVID-19.

I waited in my car for awhile. Then I joined the huddled masses. The lady eventually gave me one order after calling out the name (“Andre”). Notably, she did not ask me to show her that name on my phone screen. The one for “Gary” wasn’t ready yet. I put the one order for Andre in my car, waited for another stretch, and returned to the huddled masses.

The lady was putzing around inside the restaurant and ignoring us. I walked up into the doorway and saw her table inside with a tied bag marked “Gary.” I called out to her that I can take that order off the table. She refused and told me to go back outside!

She turned her back to me. I went and grabbed the bag anyway. She turned around, ran over to me, told me to give bag the bag, and I did! She claimed she was “busy” doing something else when I asked her what her problem was. She proceeded to get smart with me, saying something about my mother not having taught me to do things like that.

Then, to make more show out of it, she asked to see my app screen for “Gary.” I showed it to her. She asked me to slide it to the delivery address screen. I refused, waved her off, and returned to my car. She told me she will get another driver anyway. I kept walking. I canceled my pickup for Gary for excess wait time. The delivery drive for Andre was like 25 minutes anyway.

Next day, I called Uber Support to complain about the restaurant and the procedure to demand sliding the pickup screen before I rate them. Support gave me a $5.00 credit for the cancelled order for Gary and claimed they would investigate this question for me. Never heard back from them on that. I’m satisfied with the $5.00 consolation and my belated notion just to rate the restaurant pre-pickup rather than waste my time bickering and declining pickups.

While I can't speak for anyone else, It's not cooperating with restaurant workers to help them avoid possible scams and theft that I have a problem with. Instead, in my market, it's the fact that the ones who try to force us in to "confirming" the pickup in front of them are non-managerial, non-supervisory employees who can't "ask" without taking on bossy, controlling, or aggressive attitudes; or those who can't ask without making it sound like they think this means they're "superior" to us or we're too handicapped to "handle" ourselves. Plus it's every irritating and demeaning that every once in a while, I come across an employee in a restaurant I've picked up and delivered from many times before without any issue who can't give out yet another delivery to be taken to yet another customer without acting as if the driver is too "suspicious" to not try to force "confirm" just because the customer is ordering through them rather than coming in to pay and pick up in person. I mean, wait a minute, I've completed how man flawless deliveries on their behalf before WITHOUT requirement that I "confirm pickup" but NOW I'm a "suspect"???That's mentally disordered - on THEIR part, that is.
So, on one trip I did last month, I think I came up with a way that was successful at teaching someone who was no more superior to me than they were to their own co-workers a lesson on treating delivery partners respectfully rather than looking down on them and trying to force them into "subordination." Right after verifying the name and contents of this order with this guy at this restaurant I'd picked up and delivered from many times before without any issue ( even though I'd never seen him before), he suddenly became so OBSESSED with thinking he had to MAKE me confirm in front of him that right as I said "oh, yeah, I will", and tried to take the bag anyway, he clamped down on it so hard that I could hear it start to crack or dent one of the containers inside. So, rather than subjugate myself to his attempt to "dominate" a simple delivery process, OR reduce myself to his level by trying to argue, I simply backed off, and went outside to report to Uber that even thought I'd verified the name and contents of the order with the store employee, I was unable to deliver it to the customer because right as I was about to take it, he suddenly turned aggressive and wouldn't let go of the bag. In response to that, Uber said they were sorry I had that experience, gave me partial pay for the order, and then almost immediately after that, I got another order to pick up and deliver for slightly more $ and about the same amount of mileage - which I was satisfied with, thinking that word or wind of what I'd otherwise just reported would eventually have to get back to that first restaurant and result in "demoting" that one guy to a "position" of less "authority" than he otherwise preferred to believe he should have.

 

[A.Hobbes.B]

I had people ask me to slide and I usually will, they were respectful about it. I did have one place that wouldn’t give me the food until THEY slid my phone. I wasn’t super comfortable going there anyway so I just stopped. Like I’ll slide if you ask, but you have NO right to touch my phone.
I also noticed that the more professional I looked the less I was asked (also places would recognize me as I tried to be nice and talkative). I viewed it as work, so I was always nice pants/shorts and a polo. Always had my Uber bag, coolers, hot/cold bags. Went to plenty of places where the random college age kid in gym shorts, flip flops, and no bags would get asked to confirm pick but I never got asked.

Also I understand the wanting it to be confirmed, it takes blame off the restaurant. If you confirm pickup, the ball is in your court, so if the food disappears (or the driver takes it for themselves) then it’s less likely the restaurant can be blamed

 

[Ms. Mercenary]

It’s all in the tone for me. Think of it as asking a customer for the pin. What if they took it personally? I’m always respectful and helpful (“it’s usually the last four digits of the number on the account”) I’ve been known to immediately canceling a pickup if I didn’t like the tone. I’ve shitlisted restaurants for tone problems. I’ve shitlisted a restaurant for the tone the owner took in replying to Yelp reviews (I’m sure it’s pure councidence I’ve never seen an adequately paid offer from the place and they are most certainly not skimming tips 😂)

 

[guano]

If you would own a restaurant I am pretty sure you wouldn't be happy if Uber drivers steal the food you pepared for pickup. Since Uber background check lets trough people who just entered the country flood the service with drivers who don't speak 2 words of english while look like hungry gang bangers, don't get offended...

 

[boogeyman]

What you're doing is training the restaurants to expect that with all the drivers. As per Uber's policy, we do not have to show our personal phones, nor do we have to confirm anything - again, as per Uber's own policy. So If I'm following the policy, why should I suffer low ratings and arguments from paranoid restaurants? Happens more and more now. I've had 2 restaurants in as many days demanding my phone. I politely explain to them of Uber's policy. Of course they have to argue. By the time they're done, and Uber phones them to advise them of this, they then give me a thumbs down because they're saltier than a peanut. I've lost 2 percentage points in the past 2 days. Why do I have to deal with that? I did nothing wrong. On the contrary, the restaurant is to blame for not observing the rules for the pickup and attempting to control the drivers. We work for Uber. We are not the restaurant's employees. It's not a matter of not liking being told what to do. It's being ordered to do certain things which we don't have to do by control freaks that think they can elevate themselves by pretending be in control of the delivery people because in their minds, we're beneath them. And the worst part is we have to live with the low ratings because Uber does NOTHING! They don't even ask them to justify their bad rating. Maybe if they did that, or disallowed silly reasons for the bad rating, people wouldn't lose their ratings because of an employee with an axe to grind. Why do you think the restaurant has the right to tell us what to do? The restaurants now think they can do anything and if we don't comply, may God help you and your rating. And it's partly because of drivers like you who give them everything they ask for. They now believe EVERYONE must do it. If they demanded you wear a rubber glove on your head, stand on one foot and yell 'Hey! Look at me! I'm a squid!!', and you don't do it, expect your rating to be destroyed because you didn't do as they said. There are no checks and balances with the rating and any paranoid employee can and do thumb us down just because they feel like it. Not because we did anything wrong, but because we didn't bow down to their authoritai! I've messaged Uber countless times about it. Nothing has been done. They still allow the restaurants to treat us like garbage all the while being nauseatingly nice to us over the phone with their fake and scripted 'I'm so sorry... thank you for...' bs.

 

[boogeyman]

Kinda sounds to me like you don't like being told what to do.

If a restaurant repeatedly has drivers picking up the food, leaving with it, then canceling the delivery there by stealing it. What action, that would be quick and easy, would you recommend for them to do to help prevent this scenario from repeating?

I'm in SF Cali. I show my phone, point at the name, and say the name out loud and that I am with Uber. Makes pick up very easy and seamless. Especially if the name is too hard for me to pronounce or even in chinese like I have had before. I can't read chinese.

If they ask me to swip, pick up confirmed, I politely respond "of course" and comply.

like you said, they probably could care less about receiving a thumbs down. So why be so petty as to give one?

just do like me and start a black list of restaurants you've had very poor and repeated interactions with and as soon as you see a ping from them just decline to accept. (although I'm in SF and another ping always comes immediately after just about any time of the day)

What you're doing is training the restaurants to expect that with all the drivers. As per Uber's policy, we do not have to show our personal phones, nor do we have to confirm anything - again, as per Uber's own policy. So If I'm following the policy, why should I suffer low ratings and arguments from paranoid restaurants? Happens more and more now. I've had 2 restaurants in as many days demanding my phone. I politely explain to them of Uber's policy. Of course they have to argue. By the time they're done, and Uber phones them to advise them of this, they then give me a thumbs down because they're saltier than a peanut. I've lost 2 percentage points in the past 2 days. Why do I have to deal with that? I did nothing wrong. On the contrary, the restaurant is to blame for not observing the rules for the pickup and attempting to control the drivers. We work for Uber. We are not the restaurant's employees. It's not a matter of not liking being told what to do. It's being ordered to do certain things which we don't have to do by control freaks that think they can elevate themselves by pretending be in control of the delivery people because in their minds, we're beneath them. And the worst part is we have to live with the low ratings because Uber does NOTHING! They don't even ask them to justify their bad rating. Maybe if they did that, or disallowed silly reasons for the bad rating, people wouldn't lose their ratings because of an employee with an axe to grind. Why do you think the restaurant has the right to tell us what to do? The restaurants now think they can do anything and if we don't comply, may God help you and your rating. And it's partly because of drivers like you who give them everything they ask for. They now believe EVERYONE must do it. If they demanded you wear a rubber glove on your head, stand on one foot and yell 'Hey! Look at me! I'm a squid!!', and you don't do it, expect your rating to be destroyed because you didn't do as they said. There are no checks and balances with the rating and any paranoid employee can and do thumb us down just because they feel like it. Not because we did anything wrong, but because we didn't bow down to their authoritai! I've messaged Uber countless times about it. Nothing has been done. They still allow the restaurants to treat us like garbage all the while being nauseatingly nice to us over the phone with their fake and scripted 'I'm so sorry... thank you for...' bs.