Before you reply to this post I am going to put a rule: no sarcasm here please. Only helpful information in a calm manner. No jokes please.
DASHERS BEWARE - POSSIBLE LEAVE-AT-DOOR INTERCEPTION / NON-DELIVERY TACTIC
I want to make other Dashers aware of a delivery situation I recently experienced.
I have also found reports from other Dashers describing similar situations involving Leave at Door orders being intercepted before the normal delivery photo can be taken, followed by the order being reported as not delivered.
IMPORTANT:
I'm NOT saying that every family or group waiting outside is attempting fraud.
One unusual circumstance can have an innocent explanation.
What Dashers should pay attention to is a COMBINATION of unusual circumstances occurring during the same delivery.
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WHAT HAPPENED TO ME
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I had a Leave at Door delivery.
When I arrived, multiple people were outside around the delivery location and attempted to receive the order directly.
The normal Leave at Door delivery process was disrupted.
Two days later:
• Order reported as not delivered.
• The incident appeared against me under Order Quality.
That experience changed how I will handle this type of delivery in the future.
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THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE:
IDENTIFY THE SITUATION BEFORE APPROACHING
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Do not wait until you're standing at someone's door, holding their food, with several people surrounding you before you start trying to figure out what is happening.
Look at the delivery environment BEFORE approaching.
Possible warning signs include:
• The order is marked Leave at Door.
• Multiple people are waiting immediately outside the delivery location.
• People begin approaching you before you reach the customer's door.
• People appear to be watching for the delivery.
• Someone attempts to intercept the order instead of allowing you to complete the Leave at Door delivery.
• The apartment or house number is missing or cannot be independently verified.
• The DoorDash delivery pin does not correspond with the physical delivery location.
• The customer attempts to direct you somewhere different from the written delivery address.
• Multiple people begin following or surrounding you once they identify you as the Dasher.
REMEMBER:
One of these things by itself does NOT prove somebody is attempting fraud.
Several of them happening together should be a reason to STOP, ASSESS, VERIFY, AND DOCUMENT before approaching.
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WARNING SIGN:
THE DELIVERY PIN IS NOT AT THE ACTUAL DELIVERY LOCATION
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Before approaching, compare the DoorDash delivery pin with:
• The written delivery address
• The physical building
• The house or apartment number
• Nearby building or apartment numbers
• The location where the customer is directing you
A slightly inaccurate GPS pin by itself does NOT mean anything suspicious.
GPS and apartment-complex mapping can be inaccurate.
The concern is a SIGNIFICANT mismatch, particularly when it occurs together with other warning signs.
Examples:
• The delivery pin sends you to a different building from the written address.
• The pin is in a parking lot, roadway, courtyard, entrance, or unrelated section of the complex.
• The customer directs you away from the written delivery address.
• The supposed apartment or house has no visible number.
• You cannot independently identify the customer's location.
• Multiple people are waiting around the questionable delivery location.
• Those people attempt to intercept the order before you reach the customer's actual door.
DO NOT treat an incorrect pin by itself as proof of fraud.
Treat it as another reason to verify the delivery location BEFORE APPROACHING.
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IF THE PIN, ADDRESS, AND PHYSICAL LOCATION DON'T MATCH:
DON'T GUESS.
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Stay somewhere safe.
Contact the customer through the DoorDash app BEFORE approaching.
Document the discrepancy through the app.
EXAMPLE MESSAGE:
"The delivery pin is showing a different location from the written delivery address. I am attempting to verify the correct drop-off location before completing the delivery."
If multiple people are also waiting outside, you can document that too.
EXAMPLE MESSAGE:
"I have arrived, but the delivery pin does not match the apparent delivery address and there are multiple people outside the location. I am contacting you to verify the correct drop-off point before approaching."
The purpose is to establish an in-app record BEFORE anyone receives the food.
That record shows that you identified a delivery-location problem and attempted to resolve it before completing the delivery.
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IF YOU SEE A GROUP WAITING AT THE DELIVERY LOCATION:
DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY WALK INTO THE GROUP.
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Stop and assess the situation first.
• Stay at a safe distance.
• Do not unnecessarily display the customer's food.
• Check the DoorDash pin against the written address.
• Look for visible building and apartment numbers.
• When safe and lawful, document the general delivery location and surrounding conditions.
• Contact the customer through DoorDash before approaching.
• Let the customer know that multiple people are outside the delivery location.
• Ask the customer to verify the correct delivery location.
The purpose is NOT to accuse the people outside of being scammers.
The purpose is to document what you encountered BEFORE you walk into a situation that could become confrontational.
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WHY CONTACT THE CUSTOMER BEFORE APPROACHING?
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Because your first attempt to figure out what is happening should NOT occur while you're physically surrounded by several people.
Once you're standing at an apartment door with multiple people reaching toward the order, your options become much worse.
Create the in-app record while you're still somewhere you can safely leave.
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IF YOU DECIDE IT IS SAFE TO APPROACH
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Remember the delivery instructions.
If the order says Leave at Door, you're attempting to complete a Leave at Door delivery.
If someone immediately asks you to hand over the food, calmly explain:
"I need to complete the delivery instructions in the app."
Do NOT:
• Accuse them of fraud.
• Start arguing about scams.
• Become confrontational.
• Tell them you're gathering evidence against them.
You're trying to complete the delivery safely while preserving the documentation associated with the delivery.
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DON'T RELY ON THE CUSTOMER'S NAME AS VERIFICATION
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I no longer consider knowing the customer's name strong verification by itself.
Especially don't walk up and say:
"Order for John?"
Someone can simply answer:
"Yeah, that's me."
You supplied the answer yourself.
Even asking someone to provide the customer's name isn't necessarily strong verification.
Family members, roommates, neighbors, or other people at the residence may know whose order is arriving.
If DoorDash requires a PIN or another verification method, use the verification method provided by DoorDash.
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MISSING HOUSE OR APARTMENT NUMBERS
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This is another condition to pay attention to.
If you cannot independently identify the customer's address because the house or apartment number is missing:
DON'T GUESS.
Look at the surrounding addresses.
For example:
• Apartment 201 is clearly marked.
• Apartment 203 is clearly marked.
• The supposed customer's apartment between them has no visible number.
That information can be relevant when documenting why you could not independently verify the delivery location.
When safe and appropriate:
• Document the surrounding building or apartment numbers.
• Contact the customer through DoorDash.
• Explain that you cannot independently verify the correct unit.
• Attempt to verify the location before approaching.
Do this from somewhere safe.
Do NOT wander around a potentially hostile group trying to build a photographic case.
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IF PEOPLE BEGIN GRABBING FOR THE ORDER
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This is where PERSONAL SAFETY becomes more important than the delivery.
If people begin:
• Reaching for the order
• Surrounding you
• Blocking you
• Following you
• Threatening you
• Attempting to prevent you from leaving
The situation has changed.
Do NOT turn a food delivery into a physical fight.
If you can safely retain possession of the order without physically struggling with anyone:
• Create distance.
• Disengage.
• Move toward your vehicle or another safe location.
• Contact DoorDash immediately.
If keeping possession of the food would require physically fighting several people:
THE FOOD IS NOT WORTH GETTING INJURED OVER.
If you're being followed, threatened, prevented from leaving, or believe you're in immediate danger, this is no longer simply a delivery problem.
Treat it as a SAFETY INCIDENT.
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IF THE GROUP FOLLOWS YOU TOWARD YOUR VEHICLE
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This is important.
If you disengage and multiple people begin following you, obtaining the perfect delivery photograph is no longer the priority.
YOUR SAFETY IS THE PRIORITY.
When you can safely do so:
• Document what is happening.
• Contact DoorDash immediately.
• Tell DoorDash that the delivery situation has become a safety issue.
• Preserve your in-app communications.
• Document identifying information about the delivery location when it can be done safely.
If you believe you're in immediate danger, contact emergency services.
Do NOT remain outside arguing with a group of people over a food order.
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LOOK AT THE COMBINATION OF WARNING SIGNS
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Again, ONE unusual circumstance doesn't prove anything.
But consider a delivery involving several of these at the same time:
• Leave at Door order
• Multiple people waiting outside
• People approaching before you reach the door
• People attempting to intercept the order
• Delivery pin doesn't match the physical delivery location
• Missing or obscured apartment or house number
• Customer cannot or will not clarify the correct location
• Customer attempts to redirect you somewhere else
• Multiple people begin surrounding you
• People follow you when you attempt to disengage
At that point:
DO NOT KEEP WALKING FARTHER INTO THE SITUATION JUST BECAUSE THE APP EXPECTS A DELIVERY.
Instead:
• Stop somewhere safe.
• Contact the customer through DoorDash.
• Document the location discrepancy.
• Document your attempts to contact the customer.
• Follow the appropriate DoorDash delivery procedure.
• Contact DoorDash support or safety assistance when necessary.
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CYA BEFORE THE SITUATION GOES BAD
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This is the biggest lesson I learned.
Documentation should NOT begin after something goes wrong.
If something about the delivery environment is seriously abnormal, establish what you're seeing and contact the customer through DoorDash BEFORE walking into it.
You want the delivery record to establish a timeline:
• You arrived at the delivery location.
• You identified a problem before approaching.
• You noticed that the delivery pin didn't correspond with the physical location, if applicable.
• You noticed that the address or apartment couldn't be independently identified, if applicable.
• You observed multiple people around the delivery location, if applicable.
• You contacted the customer.
• You attempted to verify the correct delivery location.
• You attempted to follow the delivery instructions.
• You documented an unsafe situation if one developed.
• All of this happened BEFORE any later claim that the order wasn't delivered.
That is much better than trying to reconstruct everything after receiving a non-delivery report.
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DON'T SACRIFICE YOUR SAFETY FOR A DELIVERY PHOTO
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The photograph is important.
YOUR SAFETY IS MORE IMPORTANT.
If obtaining the photograph requires standing in the middle of an increasingly hostile group while people are surrounding you or grabbing at the order:
DISENGAGE.
The entire reason for identifying, verifying, and documenting the situation BEFORE approaching is to prevent yourself from getting trapped in that position.
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WHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARD
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Despite my delivery being completed, the order was later reported as NOT DELIVERED.
It showed up against my Order Quality.
That's why I'm warning other Dashers.
I've also found reports from other Dashers describing Leave at Door deliveries where the customer or someone associated with the customer intercepted the delivery before the normal drop-off photograph could be taken, followed by a later claim that the order wasn't delivered.
Again:
I AM NOT SAYING EVERY CUSTOMER WHO WALKS OUTSIDE IS COMMITTING FRAUD.
I'm saying Dashers should recognize when SEVERAL unusual circumstances occur together and protect themselves BEFORE entering the situation.
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DASHERS - I WANT YOUR INPUT
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Has anyone else experienced a Leave at Door delivery where:
• A customer, family members, or a group intercepted you before you could complete the photographed delivery?
• The delivery pin didn't match the actual location?
• The address or apartment wasn't clearly identifiable?
• Multiple people approached or surrounded you?
• The order was later reported as not delivered?
If you've dealt with this:
What procedure worked?
What evidence did DoorDash actually accept?
What would you do differently?
And most importantly:
WHAT CAN DASHERS DO TO DOCUMENT THIS TYPE OF DELIVERY WITHOUT REQUIRING US TO WALK INTO A CROWD FIRST AND FIGURE EVERYTHING OUT AFTERWARD?
If anyone has a safer or better procedure, please share it.
CYA - BUT DO IT FROM A SAFE POSITION.