Some DoorDash drivers are slamming a new feature that pressures customers to tip

• Last week, DoorDash warned customers that no-tip orders might result in slower food deliveries.
• Some drivers say the prompt is one way DoorDash is asking customers to subsidize driver wages.

DoorDash is putting pressure on consumers to tip with a new prompt. It's causing a backlash among some drivers and consumers.

Last week, some customers on DoorDash received an alert when trying to place an order without a tip: "Orders with no tip might take longer to get delivered — are you sure you want to continue?"

Some Dashers, or drivers, said the new prompt was another example of DoorDash asking customers to subsidize driver pay.

"The consumer is pushed to subsidize continuously lower base fares by DoorDash over the past few years," Sergio Avedian, an industry advocate in Los Angeles for gig drivers, said. "Pay me what I'm worth. Don't just go around and ask other people to take care of your business."

Other food-delivery drivers interviewed by Insider also complained about the no-tip prompt.

"They're trying to still get orders delivered, but they don't want to be the ones to have to pay anymore," Zach Snider, a DoorDash driver in Washington, said.

Snider hosts a YouTube channel, ZachDrivesFast, where he provides tips on how to earn money as a food-delivery driver.

A New Jersey multiapp driver who goes by the name Kim'ssidemoneyplans on YouTube said if DoorDash paid Dashers a fair base wage, "we wouldn't even be having this conversation."

DoorDash did not respond to questions about drivers' concerns.

It also declined to provide Insider with current base-pay figures for drivers.

Previously, the company has said base pay generally ranges from $2 to $10 an order, depending on variables such as the order's estimated duration and distance.

DoorDash did say that Dashers were earning more today than ever before. With tips and base pay, Dashers on average make $25 an hour on active deliveries, DoorDash said.

A Dasher in Orange County, California, who spoke on condition of anonymity but whose identity is known to Insider said his earnings had plummeted over the past five years. And DoorDash pressuring customers to tip has not helped his earnings, he said.

Since the announcement of the no-tip warning last week, he's noticed a drop in tips, he said.

"It's pretty crappy that they're turning on us," he said of DoorDash. "I do feel like the customer should tip us a bit better. But at the same time, DoorDash should pay us better."

Since launching the pilot test of the warning screen, DoorDash said, "we've seen a meaningful decrease in no-tip orders."

DoorDash customers say the app, not them, should pay delivery drivers better wages

Some consumers are also complaining about DoorDash's new tipping prompt.

A TikToker with the handle blogTO posted a video about the prompt, which logged nearly 296,000 views and generated more than 2,000 comments. Many people said DoorDash, not customers, should pay drivers better wages. Others complained about tipping ahead of service.

Another TikTok user, who goes by the handle chained_angel, wrote: "Delivery fees are crazy already before tip. Companies need to pay their employees properly. Tips are supposed to be optional for good service."

"I think it's crazy that they're requiring you to pay a tip in order for you to get it in the time that you want," another TikToker, who goes by the name theofficialangelt, said.

Meredith Sandland, an industry veteran and a cohost of the "The Digital Restaurant" podcast, also questioned the motive behind DoorDash's no-tip warning this week.

She suggested the fees DoorDash collects per order, such as from restaurants or consumers, might be decreasing despite the app increasing orders 24% to 543 million in its latest quarter.

"That would imply that maybe they're using discounts in order to grow those orders, and when you couple that with, 'Hey, consumers, can you please foot the bill for our drivers,' doesn't feel great," Sandland said during her latest podcast episode, which she cohosts with Carl Orsbourn.

Drivers interviewed by Insider have consistently complained this year that their base pay has been slashed since the pandemic, when orders surged and apps provided lucrative delivery incentives. Customers also tipped better during the pandemic, drivers have said.

The no-tip warning screen is the latest gratuity reminder the company has implemented. In June, DoorDash started sending tip "nudges" to customers, reminding them that they could increase tips for 30 days after a delivery.

Kim'ssidemoneyplans said the last time she saw a base-pay order above $5 on the DoorDash app was in 2018.

She doesn't accept $2.75 order offers with no tip. "It's not worth moving your car," she said.

Are you a delivery driver with insight to share? Got a tip? Contact this reporter via email at nluna@insider.com or via Signal at 714-875-6218.