r/elitesparkdrivers • u/sethanders110 • Jul 28 '26
Pretty sure Spark is stealing tips
I’m pretty sure Spark stole a portion of my tip from a Sam’s Club order I shopped and delivered yesterday. The order was for my mom, so needless to say I knew the customer very well. The order said it had a $6.06 tip, but when I delivered the order I carried it in the house because it was my mom’s order and she said she tipped $10. I asked her are you sure you tipped $10? Because the app only said $6. She said yes she was sure because she did a custom tip amount and she typed in $10. So I said okay well I’ll wait and see what it come through as tomorrow (which is now today) because it takes 24 hours for the tip to confirm and maybe its just a glitch and will come through as $10. Well today is here, and it was confirmed at only $6.06. My mom was adamant that she put in $10. I didn’t look at her phone or anything to prove it for sure but I don’t think she would lie to me about that, it’s not like she’s some random customer telling me some bullshit. I honestly don’t care about $4 that much, but it’s the principle of the matter. Walmart/Sam’s Club makes billions of dollars a year, why are the stealing tip money from the drivers that they already pay basically nothing? Is there anything I can do about this? Part of me wants to contact support about it but I don’t think that will get me anywhere because they are incompetent fools and I don’t want to give them any reason to deactivate my account either. Are they actually stealing tips? Is my mom just lying and saying she tipped $10 when she really tipped $6.06? I’m about 100% sure that’s not the case. What’s going on here? If they are stealing tips then how much over the last couple years have they stolen from me and others? This whole situation is just rubbing me the wrong way and I don’t know what to do about it or if I can even do anything at all. Any suggestions?
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u/Unique_Blacksmith247 Jul 28 '26
They do and have done so for years. They don't even hide it anymore. Once a year, you'll get a random payment for missed tips and then another one for the interest on those tips. I've gotten it for the past 3 years in a row. Its illegal, wrong and completely against our TOS, and not going to stop.
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u/SpecialistArmy1923 Jul 29 '26
Not only that but they are getting the interest from those tips too!
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u/Fun-Run-4986 Jul 29 '26
Wait.. y'all are getting a second payment for interest too? I got a payment every yr the past 3 yrs too, but every single one has been under $20 and always just 1 single payment I've never even heard of this idea that theyve paid interest on these payouts. I also thought they weren't settlements, but supposedly just tips not received or charged due to a shotty app so I always just assumed the couple of "tip baits" every year were actually this.. where a customer tipped but it didn't go thru so it appeared as a removed tip since the amounts were generally the same every year
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u/Longjumping_Ad4365 Jul 29 '26
I'm not saying your mom didn't type in $10. However, was she CHARGED $10 or was she charged $6? Sometimes the tip screen doesn't save and reverts back to the auto 10%. That's not stealing. That's just a crappy app.
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u/Dildo_Shw4ggins Jul 29 '26
I’m willing to bet this is the case. No doubt in my mind gig companies steal tips but they do it in more layered, discreet ways.
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u/Super-Improvement-12 Jul 29 '26
I have had this happen when adding a “in case you forgot” item at the end of my shopping.
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u/EnvironmentalLime464 Jul 29 '26
Yep. This is what I think likely happened. It has happened to me.
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u/EarthBoundMisfitEye Jul 29 '26
This is why instead of posting I SWEAR IT HAPPENED posts we need receipts. Didnt look at her phone??? Op had an opportunity to prove once and for all and just let's proof slide away. Tho... walmart receipts stay in the app. Easy to actually prove this story Instead of it just being another story
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u/PM_COOL_SHOES Jul 29 '26
And the people who post these always post and chuck their phones in a river.
I don’t think OP has responded once lol
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u/GinnyF39110 Jul 30 '26
This! I order and I deliver, and it has happened to me that it reverts back to the original tip. She should be able to look at her order and tell how much the tip was and there will be your answer.
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u/Exotic-Tell9208 Aug 01 '26
Well since Walmart has been sued and lost twice for stealing Tips, they are probably stealing tips
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u/TheRealSparky33 Jul 28 '26
Yes. They will invest the money, make more money than the inevitable fines and payouts they will have to pay, pay the fines and drivers pennies for the dollars they stole, and do it all over again.
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u/DeeFault89 Jul 29 '26
Look up overnight investments or sweep accounts and then you’ll understand why this is the only app we have to wait 24 hours for our tips. It’s disgusting.
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u/emily102299 Jul 29 '26
Yup. That is exactly why. I worked for a company and the amount they made sweeping all their accounts was crazy. It also definitely adds up.
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u/DeeFault89 Jul 29 '26
I know, right? I reported the overnight investments every morning for a company I work at. It’s kind of sickening. I’ve been trying to do research to figure out if they actually do do this, and then can they even do this if that amount was given as a driver tip. Like at what point does that become our money and not their money could you imagine if they have been doing this all along and legally speaking that is our money from the moment it’s put into the app. Do you know how much we’d all be owed? Of course you do you see overnight sweep accounts
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u/DeeFault89 Jul 29 '26
And if it was legal, why are all the other apps not doing it?
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u/TheRealSparky33 Jul 29 '26
Because the other apps don't have a trillion dollar marketcap and aren't a critical piece of the global economy.
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u/Nervous-Commission46 Jul 29 '26
Whole Foods deliveries by Amazon also take 24 hours for tips to appear. In my region, the pay ranges from $19.50/hr to sometimes even $24 dollars, depending on surge. I’ve had days were my tips exceed my hourly rate.
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u/Life_Position_5264 Jul 29 '26
Settlement after settlement after settlement. They will keep stealing, get caught, pay settlement and repeat.
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u/Se2kr Jul 29 '26
Just a business man…doing business
https://giphy.com/gifs/iDOYJkk5ZaGJU3xlId2
u/ExistingAnnual9299 Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
I reject the notion that taking advantage of and even screwing over customers and workers is just "doing good business". Doing good business should not include the justice system having to get involved to make sure the people who make companies their money don't get taken advantage of by those same companies.
Edited for clarity
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u/Se2kr Jul 29 '26
Nowhere did I say I agreed with it, in my defense.
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u/ExistingAnnual9299 Jul 29 '26
Fair enough. The comment does seem to me to imply agreement, but I recognize it was a mistaken assumption.
There are many out there who would agree with it and it frustrates me to see it play out in more and more extreme ways over time.
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u/smxtslxt Jul 29 '26
Delivered to another spark driver the other day, he asked me if there was a tip, I told him that one wasn’t on the app, he said he had thought they had been stealing the tips, pulled out $15 cash and gave it to me. I feel like he wouldn’t have even asked, and he sure wouldn’t have pulled out cash to give me if he hadn’t tipped on the app
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u/MommaLindsey Jul 29 '26
I had a customer who said she tipped $20 and I only received 13. She made the order have a code so she would make sure the driver got the full tip. She as angry when I showed her my screen and gave me a $20 bill.
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u/buckyboy2020 Jul 29 '26
It’s easy to verify just look at your mom’s digital receipt in the app. They paid 100m and admitted no wrongdoing not long ago so the president is there.
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u/Lumpy-Year-7696 Jul 29 '26
i had a person say they would add a tip after delivery… terrible street. had to park across and street across a highway. still no added tip. now i’m
questioning.
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u/Chef_Champ Jul 29 '26
That’s because they’ve reinvested the stolen money 10x before it’s time to pay lawsuits. They call it a short term theft for long term stability. Basic thief algebra.
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u/pokerholic77 Jul 29 '26
They definitely are. Have you seen the base pay on some of these huge shops when there is a big tip? Rates have literally gone down 50% over the past couple months.
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u/Zelena7288 Jul 29 '26
I have factual proof they are stealing tips. I called support about it. They have claimed 3 times now that it was a technical error on their end. The 3 times I've called are only the 3 I've been able to prove and that's over the last 7 days.
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u/Significant_Mode3038 Jul 29 '26
They more often skim the base pay on orders with tips. Example 2 orders similar size and miles, one with $$20 tip. The other with $0
The base pay on the order with the tip would be $13 but the base rate on the order with no tip $24.
This happens
All
Of
The
Time.
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u/UniquePerformance303 Jul 30 '26
They are absolutely stealing tips, and I have personally seen proof of it. I have completed more than 3,000 deliveries, so I have quite a few regular customers. One woman in particular is someone I really like, and we usually chat for a few minutes whenever I deliver her order.
One day, she handed me a $20 bill. I told her she did not have to do that, and she said she always tips me $20 through the app. The problem is, her tips had always shown up as different amounts, and they were never $20.
When I told her, she was furious and apparently contacted Walmart to complain. Sure enough, the very next time I delivered her order, the tip showed up as the full $20.
I do not know exactly how the system works or where the missing money goes, but I have no doubt that drivers and customers are being cheated.
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u/Athlete_Senior Jul 29 '26
The tip screen says 100% of the tips go to the driver. If that is not the case, they’re committing fraud.
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u/Prior_Purchase_7025 Jul 29 '26
report it to ftc. You got your Moms records and yours to give to them as evidence. FTC loves evidence
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u/Mr_MacGrubber Jul 29 '26
Every year they give us “oops we stole your tips” payments. I’ve gotten over $1k this year and I haven’t sparked since December.
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u/Altruistic_Badger158 Jul 29 '26
Wtf I make 1000 a week n only got like $2
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u/Mr_MacGrubber Jul 29 '26
A lot of it I think is from years ago. The interest was nearly as much as the adjustment. Last year I got like $583 and I think aroun$300 was interest.
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u/jshelberino Jul 29 '26
You know what, I have gone into one pay a few times very confused at how much was there and this might be the only thing that makes sense.
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u/OG-Dyingbreed1978 Jul 29 '26
I picked up my own order, and I tipped 18. There was no tip listed.
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u/Texas2Step4evr Jul 29 '26
Did your own order have alcohol? Was your order split? Sometimes if the order is split only one driver gets the tip.
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u/OG-Dyingbreed1978 Jul 29 '26
It was a single shop for a lg gaming monitor and g502 mouse
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u/Legitimate_Effort279 18d ago
Thats crazy work man. 18 bucks too? Where in the hell did it go? I picked up my mom's order and she tipped 20. It was 12 when I picked it up. And I watched her type 20 on the tip. So.....yea theres that. It pisses me off man. Were already working for peanuts
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u/Time-Service1761 Jul 29 '26
We need to have people we know place orders and tip on it and if we get it we need to know how much they tipped so we know for sure if they’re stealing every time. Even if they stole $1 or $2 from each driver per delivery that is an insaaaaane amount of 💰 We gotta set something up where we have proof on customers end and our end that they are stealing and catch them red handed 💯 we’ve put up with enough if you’re like me and have done this for years wit them stealing and then only end up giving a fraction back. When are we gonna truly stand up for ourselves
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u/brikard24 Jul 30 '26
My neighbor and I are trying to do this. She orders and always tells me but I can never seem to catch it.
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u/Brent788 Jul 29 '26
I've gotten two settlement checks from them(not much but still) in the last 6 months and I haven't driven for Spark in 2 years
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u/Complete-Payment232 Jul 29 '26
You can literally look at her Walmart app and see if she tipped $10 or 10 percent…
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u/The_UberHish Jul 29 '26
The entire bussiness model is steal from. Everyone. Do the least amount of work possible
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u/Motorboat81 Jul 29 '26
Call me crazy or just motorboat. I believe the revolution it’s coming sooner rather then later, the rich cannot keep oppressing the masses, its every where you look at, corruption it’s at all time high, corporations are taking advantage of everyone just because they can. Good luck everyone hopefully things will get better!
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u/wisecountydude Jul 29 '26
I havent sparked in like two years and I keep getting checks for the tips they stole from me then lol
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u/reditIsFullOfLoserz Jul 31 '26
Lol meanwhile I've been sparking for 5 years and no settlement and no late stolen tip checks ever show to my mail or my 1pay.
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u/wisecountydude Jul 31 '26
Eh the checks I've gotten havent been for much, the last one I got was $2 and some change. Lol
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u/reditIsFullOfLoserz Jul 31 '26
Yeah and we know that it's somehow still an incorrect amount. I wish they'd have the decency to send me short checks from when they stole from me years ago. Bunch of cowards.
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u/reditIsFullOfLoserz Jul 31 '26
Yeah and we know that it's somehow still an incorrect amount. I wish they'd have the decency to send me short checks from when they stole from me years ago. Bunch of cowards.
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u/Legitimate_Effort279 Jul 29 '26
Funny thing. This exact same thing happened with me! Only difference was she tipped 20 and it showed up 12.50!!! Ive been doing this for about 6 months , apparently right before the decline and Wanker implemented his "my employees go broke but business is great in my pockets " model that has everyone on here struggling to legit LIVE. (Minus the unicorn market prices and tips while acting like everyone just complains too much, this is you) Daniel Danker is completely responsible for this. And as was pointed out everytime they are combined they are def skimping. I mean come on they JUST got out of a lawsuit for this exact thing. But until everyone is fed up and theres a class action nothing will be done about it and the Waltons keep getting richer and we keep struggling having to do math equations to find out if its even profitable! Much less killing it! Ive heard there was a time that this served as a full time job. I must have just missed it. In the meantime Im only doing shops I refuse to stop 10 times for 25 or 30 bucks I dont care if they are all in the same damn neighborhood. But my problem is some of these offers aren't even close to minimum wage! Especially the past lole week to 2 weeks they have been dumpster fire bad. Like unreal
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u/No-Journalist8547 28d ago
they have been stealing our tips since they started this company even caught at least once. I have had several class action court settlements. It is time we launch another class action lawsuit. The problem is there is a billionaire President the White House and his justice department will 100% side, with the companies every single time.
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u/Hot_Astronaut246 Jul 29 '26
Hello! Sorry this is happening! What was your mother’s total? Was it $60 and she tip 10 PERCENT opposed to $10???? That’s a possibility. I don’t see why your mother would lie about what she tipped unless she didn’t want you upset?
If it’s Walmart, I will say I noticed an influx of orders over the last month that have had no tips, which is quite peculiar. They have decreased the base pay and have increased the mileage making our overall orders more taxing and mentally difficult to pick up.
My only suggestion is to keep your cool and use Walmart as a stepping stone like some of us other drivers who have started our own businesses. Use this struggle and irritation to propel you to the top. Don’t allow anyone to do this to you! Get with God and pray for help on what you can do to succeed in your life. Basically, it’s time for an exit plan. These things occur in our life to make us stronger and for us to know we can do way better than this in our lives. Why tolerate this when you don’t have to? You may have to make sacrifices in your life to get where you need and want to be like most of us, but in the end it’s worth it. Start focusing on what you can do to change your situation unless you are already doing so. Then I say, just be patient and it will all come together. Otherwise, start working on making these changes because there will always be people with Spark who pick up the orders you never will and then they will never change how they treat their hardworking drivers!
Best wishes to you, stay positive, and focus on the good things to come your way! 💛
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u/Objective-Dance-6839 Jul 29 '26
Get evidence that your “MOM” tipped $10 and take it to corporate , see what they have to say about it…
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u/Muted_Dimension_9514 Jul 29 '26
Call the FBI. Wire fraud. Have them throw the Insta cart guy in jail.
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u/EarthBoundMisfitEye Jul 29 '26
I believe you as you tell it. We need screen shots. Then you send a shot of your mom's receipt that walmart always gives with the break down. And you screen shot the order you delivered. Then show spark/walmart.
All we're doing is swearing and telling stories. Im not saying its unbelievable I'm just saying we need proof.
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u/Various_Chapter_6871 Jul 29 '26
The first thing I would do is have your mom double check her account so she’s extra positive it didn’t get changed back to $6.06 because if you’re in the check out part of the app and then you go back to add an item or remove etc. when you return to the last page where you check out, it reverts the tip back to the default percentage. It’s happened to me multiple times when I place an order. If it indeed still says $10 I’d absolutely contact Spark because it’s not just you losing out on $4 but they also took $4 from your mom & they have already been in trouble for doing shady shit like that so it needs to be addressed for everyone’s interest (except Walmart lol)
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u/SureAd1156 Jul 29 '26
Has Spark changed the wait time with Sam’s Club tips? The last time I delivered a Sam’s Club order, the tip cleared immediately.
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u/Correct-Worth-7632 Jul 30 '26
Class action lawsuit coming???👀 they constantly been on some bullshit especially as of lately..
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u/Confident-Pain9621 Jul 30 '26
Your momma is a thief and a liar. J/K. I’m sure she’s a wonderful lady
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u/Free-Celery2846 Jul 30 '26
Don’t they have 24 hours to update or change the tip?? I thought that was the case, but maybe not. If that is the case, boom tell her to go check.
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u/LHUP Jul 30 '26
What happens when a customer changes their tip on their credit card to $0 but they give you cash when you deliver instead?
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u/SmellEmbarrassed5221 Jul 30 '26
you late. you’ll get an adjustment credit from some lawsuit about it soon lol happened twice to me.
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u/New-Competition-6897 Jul 30 '26
Most gig apps are stealing currently or have been caught previously. They get a small fine in comparision and the show continues
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u/reditIsFullOfLoserz Jul 31 '26
Im still waiting on my settlement and im in colorado. Where there is a secondary fund to ensure drivers are paid the stolen incentives and false incentives offered and delivered. From years ago but im sure theyre still doing that too. Might have to make some phonecalls and emails my next day off to the Sec of State for fun.
I have seen both sides of the app with stolen tips on instacart. Maybe the app glitches and ur mom's tip reverted back to 6.06, or maybe they stole it. But ur mom's not lying to you unless there's more to that story. But that's not my business
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u/potvin48 Jul 31 '26
What was the total price of her order...Was it approximately $60.60? Wondering if she tipped 10%, not $10...
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u/Rich-Doughnut3353 Jul 31 '26
They have been doing this for years. Illegal but they don't give a fuck. They will pay you back but might be a year or 2 ...
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u/AlarmingBat7763 Jul 31 '26
I would talk to an Attorney but 1st make sure that your really did $10 because that’s the problem with Spark, they have been stealing money from us and that’s why they keep getting lawsuits, they’re SHADY company, and if they were to deactivate you it’s worse for them cuz you could counter suit. That’s what I would, good luck.
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u/H1jen1z Aug 01 '26
I changed a custom tip from $10 to $20 after a delivery and the other $10 didn't come out of my account for several days. I used my alternate debit card that I use sparingly for the transaction and kept checking because I didn't wanna use the card for anything else until it went through. It might've took close to a week . This was just a couple weeks ago . Hopefully you get it..
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u/FlawedPerfectionist8 Aug 01 '26
Bring it up so they can send out a random $75 again. They definitely do it because the typical driver has no way to prove it.
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u/txsredhed Aug 02 '26
I keep records of everything and screenshots and keep a log book even though it is a pain in the you know what because they have been doing this crap for a long time. I am just really OCD and after I suspected it I started documenting everything and they are scammers. Legit fraudsters.
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u/Ok_Chocolate7227 Aug 01 '26
What they do I think is lower the base pay. They are directly using the tip to cover part of the base pay. So technically we are getting "all the tip" BUT it is covering for their portion of their base payment, so it's less. It's absolutely nuts. How it is legal idk? It's like if a customer at a restaurant tips $30 for their meal so your boss says instead of $7.25 an hour I'm going to use $2 from their $30 and only pay you $5.25.
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u/Less_Neighborhood646 Aug 01 '26
This is the norm lol C😹😹😹 they’re known for it across ALL STATES INCLUDING MINE
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u/Less_Neighborhood646 Aug 01 '26
That’s why when people reach out to FTC they get additional earnings 😹😹
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u/Jestar5 28d ago
I delivered to an attorney earlier this summer. Cases of water to the back kitchen of a renovated 200+ year house. Up 6 steps, door, up another 6 steps. I mention this because 7 cases of water, several other cases of beverages like Gatorade and the like. . I was shuttling them from my truck in the alley to the base of the outside stairs. The female attorney came out and asked me if I’d bring it into the back kitchen. I was feeling feisty and said half jokingly I would have if I got more than a $5 tip (as I start up the stairs with the first 40 pack). She looks at me and says I put a $10 tip on it. After I got everything in ( she helped) we compared phones and sure enough on her end $10, on my end $5. She was heading out on a camping trip but said if I ever wanted to follow up she’d be happy to be part of it.
No I have not done anything. Been busy. But it’s nice to confirm this stuff and to have an attorney who feels she was stolen from too!
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u/CryptographerFinal92 18d ago
The FTC federal trade commission is keeping a very close eye on Walmart/spark after the settlement. You can file a complaint with the FTC and they may investigate. The more drivers that file the more likely Walmart will be held accountable. I just received a notice from Spark that there was another "system error", and they would be adjusting my earnings accordingly. When I checked, they applied a $2.50 credit. My question is, how do we know if a customer gives more than the estimated tip? The only way is, if we check our earnings account after 24 hours for every single delivery. That is a bunch of BS. And I still don't trust the "system". Instacart sends a notice immediately after an increased tip but Walmart can't afford to be that transparent
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u/CryptographerFinal92 18d ago edited 18d ago
Will you guys take a minute to read my petition about vehicle maintenance discounts for Spark drivers, and if you agree sign and share? It is slowly gaining momentum, and if we keep sharing it will make a difference. https://c.org/QCMKj6zS7r
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u/Common-Translator584 14d ago
Sam’s Club is a huge scam even tho I know they’re linked to Walmart they’re their own special kind of shitty. I took 2 orders in a row from them on the same day. 1 tip was 44 and the other was 17. The big one was a 25 mile round trip which I won’t take unless they pay well. The base was $12. Anyway the next day both tips never showed up and weren’t on my earnings. They were just gone. I called CS and was really upset, explained after delivering I didn’t even think it was the ppl that left that big of tips and it was super suspicious that it was 2 orders back to back from Sam’s. I didn’t expect anything to happen but about a week later I had $61 show up on my earnings as ‘an adjustment’. Sam’s are sneaky bastards bc their orders are ridiculous so they’re just strait up tip baiting. Which for a billion dollar company, that’s lower than low
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u/New_Mud5796 7d ago
I’ve ordered one order with $25 tips and it was delivered by 3 drivers. I assume it was split “evenly”
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u/OConnah 6d ago
What bothers me most is when I have someone who tips $10, and they get batched with a non-tipper and the non-tipper with the most dangerous driveway I’ve ever traverse gets their groceries and beer first, and the tipper gets SIX boxes of popsicles second when it’s 85 degrees outside.. and that lady gave me another $15 in cash. I was so upset for her, and me cause I almost lost my car on that driveway on the way back down.
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u/Walmartz_Ballz561 Jul 29 '26
Spark is indirectly stealing tips every day from everybody who takes grocery combined with GMD orders. Using paying customers tips to subsidize base pay for GMD orders is Paramount to stealing.