Instacart

On December 14, 2022 I placed an order with instacart for my elderly mother who is handicapped and housebound. She was skeptical about using the service as it connected her debit card and she is on a limited income. I entered her EBT information and selected the option to use ebt/snap as the payment method.

Upon checkout, I was prompted to enter her pin to her debit card twice which was unsuccessful but the order was still placed. I shortly received an email confirming her delivery and the entire order was charged to her debit card. I began by responding by email in an attempt to resolve the issue, and reached no resolution. Today, I called and spoke with a representative who informed me that the PIN for the EBT card was never submitted. That is not my ever, that is a technical error with the app, and how was I to know that I was supposed to enter a pin for the EBT card to begin with?

I asked the representative to please speak with a manager and was informed that he was in a meeting and I would receive a call back within 30 minutes to an hour. I never received that call back. It appears as though this is a fraudulent scheme that instacart uses in an attempt to defraud customers and charge their debit cards instead of applying their snap benefits. The problem is that my mother now has no money left in her bank account for the rest of her month and needed it to take a ride to the doctors and back, and now she is unable to do so, and has chronic health issues that need to be addressed. I am outraged that this company could deliver such poor customer service and made no attempt to resolve this issue. Praying on the handicapped and the elderly is not cool at all and I intend on complaining until this issue is addressed. She depended on this service and it was her first time using it and I'm sure she will never want to use it again.

I truly hope that there is someone in this company who has some level of ethics and professionalism and can resolve the problem.

This complaint is about instacart and how they lie , hold back pay earned and overall treatment of there employees . I have been with instacart I believe two years , I work alot and especially during the holidays, every major storm for the last 2 years and there's been several , often times 1 of 3 I the niagara falls and surrounding areas during bad weather times but on day I believe 15 or in that Area, buffalo was hit with a major snow storm and that's when I was out rherr geti.g customers grocerys t hat they had been waiti.g for (in some cases 2 and 3 days . That is when instacart loved me especially until... I didn't have much time it wS day 2 of snowstorm and roads were getting shut down and instacart was they only company still taking customers orders all other delivery company's refused there workers to work because of conditions , well I waited till the light came on for gad as I was delivering I stopped quickly to fill my tank however I was out aprox 20 miles room home and had a tripple order still needing delivered, only l

Problem my debit card was being denied , what I should have atleast 190 bucks or so , that was for my gas and my phone bill both used for instacart and budgeted accordingly however a week before on a cash out instacart had said there was a problem with deposit because my card had expired and to put new info on and the 2 wkly amounts would be deposited right away , so I did and used to cash out a couple times for small daily amounts and no problem it was verified and all set but still no 200 owed from initial , I freak out and mssg because it was obviously a emergency and there would be no way to deliver and make it home , they apologize and say that it will be on withing a hr tops to go ahead and deliver , that wS 2nd week of November and I've still yet to get paid foe that bit have gotten other payments , I have 27 documented and recorded conversations with instacart help and who shoppers would speak with in reference to anything, that night and until the following night I was broken down. On the side of rhe highway with no has and a bunch of promises, I've to dated spoke with head of finance , the escalations team , 17 representives 2 managers and 1 head honcho that said they werr so sorry , I've been disconnected , hung up on 6 times , I have been promised my money withing a hour, a day and maximum 14 days a total of 22 times ,, I've been told to refresh screen and it would 100 % be on there , only to realize that was there way of getting off complaint , I've had sets of numbers given to me about the complaint only to realize from a manager that those numbers were obviously made up or were ticket numbers to things that I supposedly did wrong, I started getting upset and trying to force them to simply pay me my wages after 30 days past the legal parameters of holding back pay , I've spent almost 25 hours talking and texting about this , I froze that night and they could even comp me gas money or send someone to get me , I was unable yo pay my phone bill without borrowing money that cost more , I've lost out a average 3 or 4 k of work because one it's hard to trust them two that money owed is used to continue to work and make money as basically a sub contractor , this ordeal has coat me alot , it's effe ti.g my Christmas, and it all started over 200.000 once I begin to complain the one rep told me and I have it recorded to go to social media and they will fix it , I didn't but threatened too and another rep also recorded told me that they will make things up and start putting co.aints on me and will put ratings down and cancelation rate up so that they can fire me legally , however I never had complaints before not outside the norm , if any at all , cancelation rate wa always around 9 or 10percent , I've since wathched it go up to 16 percent without working a single day ( impossible ) I watched commits of me supposedly shopi.g with other people etc... never happend this is instacary retaliating all to save a couple hundred dollars , I was told I would be fired any day and especially if I'm do what I'm doing now , that is wrong I've never mad a complaint against any employer and certainly not I stalwart, but enough is enough I'm sick of being bullied , the other day I stopped a tripple order spent hours because instacart wouldn't allow me to pay for one of the orders which held me from going for delivery of any of them , wouldn't answer my pleas for help , didn't pay me anything and then canceled the orders and pur cancelation rate up to 16 % and again another threat , what the heck is going on , this is the beginning for me , I an to file a lawsuit tomorrow morning and I have a interview hopefully for Fri with the buffalo news , I oy wanted my money that was owed 200.oo now I going for much more , all they had to do was apologize and pay me , I. A good worker , please help me to get paid and to take this as far as I can and hopefully make the shopping and delivery giant feel it where it hurts , I have been and it's been almost 2 months ,and before I f

Go they lie and cover up so good , they sent me a email LA week sayi.g we tried to deposit that money but unable too , however they picked a day where I was transwferi.g money before and afterwards dromedary then to that very bank account , I also have every conversation whether in text form or audio for the record . It will take time but I will win and they will lose , I hope much heavier than they realize, I aim to make this wrong right for not only me but all the workers that work for them and for all the customers that trust them and believe in their word, a company is only as good as there word .

I have been a shopper for Instacart since Jan 2022. I had watched a YouTube video about the mileage pay and Instacart and was advised to do the math myself don't trust Instacart's calculations. So i went back and did the math on all of my batches ALL OF THEM. I found over 150.00 i was shorted and immediately contacted support through text because unless your on a batch you can not call instacart. So this process takes anywhere from 20-90 mins. I finally reached someone who promised me a team of experts would fine tooth comb my profile and correct every mistake. I would be notified by email if they needed any further info. This went on for over two weeks every time i am given a shopper bump and told of someway it will be corrected. After 3 weeks i accepted a batch and called support was on the phone for almost two hours and was informed that corrections can only be made in the current pay period. Anything after that can't be opened. I requested to make a formal complaint due to the fact that i was being shorted over 150.00 and once i found the mistake I'm told i can't get the correct pay. Since i discovered the incorrect calculations i have had to check each batch and daily i have to contact support to get paid correctly. I struggle nightly with each agent and their promises of it never happening again.

Order from evening of 12/3/22, Food Lion.

(Problem with order 5 days old—your 4 day policy is brand new to me and I’ve been sick since that night.)

If a store you contract with wants to sell flowers, the employees have got to be to be better educated.

It shouldn’t matter that it was evening (or if I’d ordered incredibly early). All retail employees, as a rule, should be cross trained in every department and lateral duties.

My shopper, who is one of my favorites because she’s unfailingly diligent and committed to finding exactly what you ordered, and if it’s not available, does all she can to find a replacement you feel happy about. She’s clearly invested in the satisfaction of her customers.

She tried to ask numerous employees at Food Lion about an item I’d ordered in quantity of 2. She asked every employee she could find if the paper white bulbs would bloom again —- not one person knew anything about these popular December&January flowers.

I definitely understand why she thought surely they must because Food Lion actually chose to keep the dead flowers as a display in the store. Again, none of this is my shopper’s fault.

But no, paper whites DO NOT bloom again. They can offer an extended blooming period if the bulbs are of good quality and if one cares for them properly.

So I got two dead paper whites I had planned to give to my mom. Again, these are not perennial bulbs so they will not come back next year. I’m requesting a refund for those two items, to be credited to my card ending in 3804.

HUGELY DISAPPOINTED!

I ordered my grocery order last night 12-02-2022 to be delivered today 12-03-2022 between 10:00 am -12:00pm. Part of my order was delivered by the driver Nicholas, he checked out at 10:28 am delivered my order at 11:55am, five miles away. I should have checked for all items in bag, as I was charged for Food Lion frozen orange juices, 1 Kraft single slice cheese that were not in my order. He put a bag with a loaf of bread on top of my cart, I ask him what's this for, he said it's your bread, I told him I didn't order any bread, he checked his phone and said ooh-ooh. I called Instacart, told the girl I spoke with that I had items missing, her response, I'll refund these items and take the delivery charge off your next order. If this was a one time thing would be one thing BUT, it happens with 9 out of 10 orders! This is SHAMEFUL way to run a business and a discourtesy to the customers. I have to use this service as I'm 75 years old legally blind and disabled, my only transportation is the City Bus, or a Taxi. I'm on a fixed income, and can't afford $20.00 round trip to and back from the grocery store, I can't hardly walk and have to use a cane just to get around. Instacart, hires people that have no respect for the customers or the company apparently. Something has got to be done!

Order Number: [protected]

Payment Summary

Item Total

$307.35

Item Coupons/Sales

-$39.93

Delivery Fee

$9.95

Tax

$5.28

Total

$282.65

12/2/22

My order first of all is still not here...more than 1 hour late...this is not the first time...this particular order was really messed up ...quantities, products and the substitutions did not match products in anyway...plus items I did not order...I called Krogers and the order was cancelled...never again will I used Krogers...my money will not be refunded for 7-10 banking days.;;what a nice way to earn interest..I am a handicap senior and this is a scam and should be investigated...tampax and feminine pads were on the order that I did not place..I am 72 years old..Instacart needs to be aware of this..Plus the order was 30 dollars more than I ordered...

I paid for professional and efficient delivery service with instacart and I have not received this. I have had multiple complaints using this service and I feel I have wasted my time and money using this terrible unprofessional service. This company is a fraud, it only takes money from it's customer and provides terrible service. Instacart is a rip off and should be closed down.

I am NOT a fan of the new management bringing in the nonsense celebrity ads with Lizzo and Pink. Just WHY? It makes me NOT want to use this service anymore and I have used it for over two full years now with tons of orders...if this company goes woke or full liberal policy tactics, I am OUT!

JUST offer the service that it was intended and serve the real people at home who can't get to the grocery store and stop all the dumb tactics of selling so called "celebrity" Thanksgiving Grocery lists. I do NOT want to COPY what PINK has in her cart, thank you very much. How ridiculous is this company going to get? Stop it now before you lose a HUGE customer base. Thank you!

I placed an order today 11/22 at 6:52 AM, and my estimated time of delivery was supposed to be between 10-11 AM. At 10:55 AM I received an alert my order was delivered. When I went to check nothing was there. So I went to open the chat and the shopper put that he “accidentally” marked the order delivered, but he had my info and would be here shortly. After two hours passed, I contacted instacart for assistance. I was told via chat that they would put in for my order to be redelivered within 5 hours and they would give me a $10 credit for the inconvenience. So after 30 minutes I checked my account to see if the new order was sent or updated and there was no record of a new order or a credit. So this time I called, the first rep I spoke to was clueless and told me he had to transfer me to the escalation team to handle this issue. So I was transferred to a literal waste of breath who told me that it was not possible for me to receive redelivery. My only option was a credit or refund and it would take up to 48 hours to receive. At this point I’m absolutely livid because no one ever emailed me, contacted me to tell me the order was never submitted. Furthermore, it’s two days before Thanksgiving and I purchased the order with more than enough time to receive it. Lastly they’re holding my money hostage after the shopper literally stole my groceries. So after voicing my concerns the agent continued to speak from his script instead of actually addressing my concerns. So I requested to speak to a supervisor. He told me the supervisor was going to say exactly what he was saying, I said that’s fine, I still want to speak to someone else, because this isn’t being properly addressed. He refused to transfer me and I asked for his name, at which time he told me have a good day and hung up. This is outrageous! It’s literally two days before thanksgiving and these thieves have my money AND groceries and I’m scrambling trying to figure out what to do. I will never use this company again!

My bill was $77.95 but ended up only being $70.77. They put both of these as a hold on my account and said it could take up to 7 days for the funds to be released. They said this is normal and they always do this. It caused my account to go negative and I don't have access to these funds. What if I didn't have money I could transfer to cover this? 2 days before Thanksgiving to boot!

To Whom it May Concern:

Today I visited my credit card company to pay my bill. Upon reviewing my transactions, I noticed an amount on 11.15 for $201.25 to Instacart. This amount was used with the Instacart associated email at XXXX.

On Nov 15th I received an email from Instacart stating the account address had been changed-which I did not do. I have TWO Instacart accounts and I do not use the one associated with XXXX anymore. I tried to log in and could not so I submitted a password reset and the email never came to me, therefore I could not change it. I did not think I still had my credit card on file with this account and when this happened I was at work.

Fast forward to today and the issue with the transaction on my credit card. Again, I tried to reset my password and email would not come to me-obviously the person who hacked into the account not only changed the address but the email associated with the account for correspondence. I quickly called my credit card company and filed a dispute and the card was inactivated.

I tried to contact Instacart for assistance but since I could not log in, I could not do anything on the account XXXX. Coincidentally, I had just placed an order on my active account XXXX and was able to enter a chat and tell the rep what happened. The rep told me to go into the account, change my password and then delete the account. I CANNOT DO THAT BECAUSE SOMEONE CHANGED THE INFORMATION AND THE OPTION TO CHANGE MY PASSWORD DOES NOT EXIST; THE EMAILS DO NOT COME TO ME! Check! What is the email associated? It's not mine. What is the address associated? It's not mine. What was the last order created? It's not mine. If the address is not in XXXX, then IT IS NOT ME. If the address is not XXXX IT IS NOT ME.

After getting NO WHERE with the rep she disconnected the chat while we were still actively communicating. I am SO upset.

Your company needs to take action immediately. You need to refund the amount of $201.25 to my credit card (ending XXXX) and delete this account immediately. Your rep did nothing to help me. Imagine if YOU were in this situation?

I am filing a formal complaint against your company and my credit card is doing the same. Instacart should take fraud seriously and do the right thing and HELP THE CUSTOMER.

XXXX

Instacart automatically renewed my membership, even though i had canceled it in August. I contacted them October 20, 2022 to cancel my membership yet again. The agent made it extremely difficult to cancel. He continuously attempted to sell me the product after I made it very clear several times I was not interested and wanted to cancel. I have screenshots of the entire conversation.

Today, I was billed by Instacart yet again. I had to contact them for the third time to cancel my account. I have screenshots of this conversation as well.

They are intentionally autorenemwin my canceled membership each month, even though they have assured me this would not happen again.

The first 9 screenshots are from me canceling my membership in October. The rest are from today.

On November 6th, I made an instacart order. While the shopper was shopping my order, she informed me that the power had went out and she wanted to know if I wanted the order canceled. I asked her if she knew how long the power would be out, she said they had told her less than an hour. I told her that I did NOT want my order cancelled. She said ok I will get back to you when the power comes on, and literally 10 seconds later, she cancelled the order. I had that pending charge on my account and no extra money in the bank so my children went to bed hungry that night, because I had no way to go and get groceries. Fast forward to November 12th. I had a $15 coupon that was set to expire on the 13th, so I made a Sam's Club order to be delivered the next day (so that I would get the $2 off coupon)...my order was set to arrive between 4-6pm. At 4:30 pm I got an alert that said my shopper had started my order. I always keep my phone near me while someone is shopping for me, in case they have any questions. Shortly after they checked in at the store, my order was cancelled. I started a text chat with an instacart associate. They had indicated that the shopper had a personal emergency and that they could UNCANCEL my order and give it to someone else. I was in dire need of groceries for my family so I asked them to uncancel the order and they gave me a $10 credit for my next order for the inconvenience. At 4:45 I hadn't received a check in yet for the new shopper, and I checked the app and my order was not being shopped. I went to my bank account to see what my balance was because I had to figure out how to again feed my children for that night, and I see that my bank account is OVERDRAWN. It's overdrawn because instacart decided when they uncancelled the order that they cancelled, to again put a pending charge of $70 on my account to cover the purchase at Sams Club which was to be approximately $63.00 give or take a few bucks. So now not only do I not have my Sam's Club order or anyone shopping it, I am overdrawn in my bank account and no way to get groceries for my family that night. I then Called instacart customer service. I get a woman on the phone that I can barely understand. She gives me a completely different story than the first agent did, and claims that there was a system down issue and the shopper couldn't complete my order. I explain to her that with speaking to an agent before her I was told different. I was tired of getting the run around with her and told her that I wanted both of the pending charges refunded to me, that I had spent the whole afternoon dealing with Instacart agents and getting nowhere. She refused to cancel the order, so I asked to speak with a supervisor. I was put on hold for about 15 minutes and another gentleman came on the line and he was also hard to understand. He informed me that he had already expedited my order to an agent who was going to follow the shopper from start to finish and that I would have my order by 7pm guaranteed(yes his words). He then assured me that the one of the $70 pending holds would be released, and that it would be back into my bank account first thing Monday Morning. And he used the word "guranteed" again. I said fine, and hung up. At this point it was about 5:30. At approximately 6:15 pm I was notified that the shopper was shopping my order. At 6:30 I was notified that my total was $91.78! And then instacart puts a $21.98 pending charge in my bank account that was already in the red because of you guys! So at this point Instacart is holding $161.98! And I still HAVEN'T FED MY FAMILY DINNER! This shopper didn't indicate that anything was more expensive, or that they had to substitute any items, so why in gods name was my total over $91 when I made the order the day before and with delivery charges and everything it was only approximately $65?! ALSO LETS NOT FORGET THAT MY ORDER WAS GUARANTEED TO GET TO ME BY 7PM.

So it's now 7:15 and my order isn't here, I check the status of the driver and he's still many miles out. Turns out for some reason he went to a Sams Club that was over 67 miles away when we have a Sams Club that is about 30 miles from my home. So I again get on instacart chat with an agent. I ask them why the charge is so much. They had no answer, so I started checking things. Apparently that $15 coupon was not applied. I asked the agent why. They first indicate that the coupon was expired. However it expired the day that my items were supposed to be delivered, and I used it in the transaction that I made on the 12th, that on the 13th y'all CANCELLED and then UNCANCELLED. The agent then proceeded to say that it was not transferrable so I've lost the ability to use that coupon because it was used in the cancelled order. I DIDN'T CANCEL THE ORDER, INSTACART AND THEIR SHOPPER CANCELLED THE ORDER. I then told the agent, look I want this order cancelled, I want ALL OF MY MONEY RELEASED, and that I was done spending my whole night dealing with this. He said that the driver was already on their way and that they were not going to cancel the order(I checked and the shopper was still 43 miles from my home). I again reiterated that I wanted my funds released and that I did not want any delivery from Instacart. They refused, so I asked to speak with a supervisor AGAIN...and theyre response was, they're going to tell you the same thing I'm telling you...would it appease you if I gave you a $15 credit? I didn't respond and closed out of the app.

So not only was my order late, the driver thought it would be funny to put a box full of about 50 lbs of meat right up against my front screen porch door, so I couldn't get out to bring the groceries in. In doing some more research instacart charged me extra for the UNCANCELLED ORDER, in delivery and service fees without my knowledge.

AND THE KICKER?!?!?! IT'S CURRENTLY 9:43 AM CST ON TUESDAY AND I STILL DON'T HAVE ANY FUNDS RELEASED FROM INSTACART!

I am asking for a complete refund, of ALL money. This was hands down the worst customer service experience I've had and I'm 43 years old. It's unacceptable to run a business like this, and I don't know about anyone else but I can't afford this kind of crap!

Kim Lannoye

I have for months given Instacart many chances to fix my problems to no avail I am at a loss to how a large company can just keep stealing from me n refuse to cancel my membership so they keep double charging me every month for a membership I haven't used since March of last year. I cancelled my Instacart membership in as pril when I quit using as service but instead of cancelling every month this year I was charged twice on my boyfriend's credit card 9.99 membership fees Twice every month. I have not used the service since icancelled. I have spent many hours on phone n live chats been promised supervisor would be in touch. I have gotten no resolution or even attempt s. the care agents all tell me they can't refund my money. 2 memberships since March 8 mos at 20+tx 160 bucks n even worse every time they say it's cancelled like clockwork they charge again1st week n third.. How do I stop them from taking more money from me? This is bank account files will only show 3 monthst at a time but can go all way back but it shows in system they just won't fix it

Contacted the company 4 times for a refund of this item because their website did not show the warning that is on the package showing the product is processed in a facility that processes Tree nuts, Coconut, Wheat, Eggs, Soy, and dairy. For someone like myself who has multiple life threatening allergies, this is a big problem. This has happened before wi to h other products they carr and I brought it to their attention. I received a refund with no problem. They sent me an email they will no longer issue me refunds cause they feel they are excessive. They are discriminating against my right to request a refund of I have an allergic reaction to one of items I purchase from them.

I canceled my membership in October. First week in November instacart charged a $99 fee to my debit card. I contacted them via email they did refund The $99 because they were not authorized to charge it however when I was waiting for the refund my rent check went through and bounced and I incurred a $30 fee. I contacted them several times through email, chat and then I called on the phone and spoke with three people and they are insisting that they cannot reimburse me for the $30 fee no one there is authorized to do that. Instacart is BS they do shady practices and charge unauthorized funds and will not own up to their mistakes. It was their error my rent check bounced and I incurred a fee because of their error and they don't have the integrity to do the right thing and reimburse me for it.

Still waiting over a month and a half for their “Trust and Safety Team” to unlock an account. Paying for a yearly expensive membership and no one is able to unlock it. Cannot speak to anyone directly, tell you that it’s only by email. Placed numerous phone calls and customer service hangs up on you. Cannot speak with a supervisor… they claim it’s over a 2 hr wait. Ask for a number to call you vback and never do

Date 11/11/2022, approximate time of delivery 9:25 a.m. I have asked to speak with a manager after 3 different employees today with no resolution. I have been hung up on 3 times now! Each time I asked to speak with a manager or someone in charge. I will never use instacart again. I have no trust after today. I placed an order online. The shopper substituted Jimmy Dean frozen breakfast sandwich's for a 3 lb roll of Kroger hamburger that I had ordered. How is that even a substitute? I stated no substitutions on my order! She took the items back but charged my credit card anyway! She provided no refund. I did not approve of any substitutes, and she did not ask; she took it upon herself to do this. I have kept all texts regarding this order from her. She stated she was sorry, the 2 boxes of Jimmy dean were for another order (but she charged my credit card for them). She bought more items then what I ordered as well. She didn't let me know of anything else that was out of stock except a box of cakes. There were many other items I ordered that were listed out of stock, but 2 items were in stock (I called Kroger and they checked!) I have repeatedly asked for a refund for $32.97 for things I did not order and items she took back. She told me to call Instacart as did Kroger manager for the refund, yet no one has helped in this matter! Instead, on hold for 30+ minutes each time, then disconnected or hung up on, and at end I get asked questions if I was helped survey!

I have used this service several times at Costco only, my order last week posted an error my account is blocked. Called Costco, they had me call Instacart. Lady on phone said to send the last four of my credit card. I sent that, but they did not tell me they also wanted my full name on the card etc. So sent in another two tries of the photo, they got one they liked. Now they want my drivers license, WA state, uploaded. I can block the license number, but they want my photo, signature, height, weight? For shopping? They will not tell my why my account was flagged. I have a high credit score, this card is high use and from USAA. There are not reasons for this invasive demand of highly personal information. I will also contact Costco management. I have seen articles that Instacart sell/shares customer information. I am not comfortable with this.

I placed an order at 2:30 with Aldi's. Delivery was set for 4:30 allowing me time to get super ready. I am a semi-invalid and I live solely on my SS income. We didn't have much food in the house the past week or two as I was waiting for my check to arrive. At 4:30 I am informed there is a delay the food would be delivered at 5:30. Then it was 6:30, then it was 7:30 then I was told it would be delivered the next day. They offered me a $10 discount on my $185.00 order. I canceled the order and we had some PB and Jelly sandwiches on stale bagels. This morning I arrange to have someone do some food shopping for me so first I check my bank balance. I see I was charged the $185. I called CS and spoke to a few people who I could not understand their accents at all. This was not an oriental or Latin accent or anything I had ever heard before. It was from Mars. Finally, I was told there was nothing they could do about it I had to wait 7 to 10 days for a refund. I feel bad for anyone that ever has to use this horrendous uncaring POS company!..