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Can Instacart Shoppers Rate Customers? (Yes, and no)

Being a Shopper for Instacart or any other grocery delivery service has its pros and cons. The flexibility to work when and where you want is great. But one bad customer can sour that quickly. So both Shoppers and customers sometimes wonder can Instacart shoppers rate customers?

Can Instacart Shoppers rate customers? No. Instacart does not have an official rating system to allow their contracted employee Shoppers to rate customers. However, Instacart Shoppers can choose what customers and orders they want to take. They can also decline orders with a low tip. 

Ultimately, though nothing is preventing an Instacart shopper from keeping track of both great or terrible customers. They just can’t place their opinions about that customer in the Instacart system.

But they can track that information personally and then use it to accept or decline future orders. So a friendly customer who tips 20% will almost assuredly have that Shopper wanting to work with them again.

But the jerk who complains about everything lives up 3 flights of stairs who tips 3% might very well find themselves with no Instacart Shoppers willing to continue delivering to them.

But let’s dig in a little deeper and see exactly what Shoppers and customers alike can do to help each other make this more of a win-win.

Ready to apply with Instacart and see how much you could make?

CLICK HERE to fill out your application now on the Instacart website!

Do customers get rated on Instacart?

While there is no official way to rate a customer, shoppers have the right to identify good and bad customers from previous experiences.

Based on how frequent you deliver to a customer in your area, it should be reasonably easy for Instacart shoppers to rate the customers. While you’re likely going to remember the customer name of someone exceptionally awesome or outstandingly rude, a simple notepad app can help you keep track of them too.

Then, as I noted above, Instacart Shoppers do have the right to say yes or no to any order or any customer.

Since many customers place a tip directly in the app, Shoppers can also see the tip involved for an order and could also accept or decline an order based on a low or great tip also.

Can Instacart Shoppers choose what orders or customers they take?

Yes, is the short answer.

It would be unfair to pay a $3.50 tip to a Shopper who spent 45 minutes at the grocery store. If a customer lives five miles or more from the grocery store and only wants $70 worth of groceries, shoppers might feel it will not be worth the effort if the tip is only 5%.

Shoppers have up to 30 seconds to decide if they want to accept or decline any order. The Instacart agreement clearly states that a Shopper is free to do so.

Orders are not only declined for low tips but also tips that seem too good to be true.

Tip baiting is when customers place great tips in the Instacart app to attract a shopper. After delivery, the customer reduces the tip or eradicates it. What makes it more frustrating for Shoppers is that before June 2020, there was no minimum tip required.

There was a “none” option for giving tips. Instacart has since removed that option.

Want to know more about tipping a shopper? Here’s my recent article on how much it is reasonable to tip your shopper and why. I will also cover how you can tilt your shopper in the app if you want them to leave the delivery at the door.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

Instacart has recently addressed the tip baiting, and they finalize the tips within 24 hours instead of three days. Three days to decide on a tip was ridiculous anyway.

They need a minimum of a 5% tip to confirm the order and proceed further. The Instacart algorithm does penalize Shoppers for turning down a request, though. Shoppers sometimes have to wait up to an hour for a new job to be available if they decline one.

Ultimately, This can cause them to have fewer hours than agreed on or prematurely end their shift.

Can an Instacart Shopper complain about you?

Shoppers can complain about customers. But that doesn’t always mean Instacart is going to take action.

If a customer is extremely rude to a Shopper, then that warrants a complaint. Shoppers have families and are risking themselves to provide great convenience. They should not be forced to tolerate rudeness or harassment from customers.

But a gruff customer is not the same thing as one who harasses or misleads an Instacart Shopper.

Customers, who lie about missing items or falsely accuses you of stealing, will be reported. If a Shopper is a victim of tip baiting, then they have the right to refuse any other orders from that customer.

Instacart Shoppers should also provide feedback to Instacart Support, so they are aware of the fraud.

Low tips, however, are not valid for complaints. A customer has to pay a minimum of 5% of the total cost of their order. Customers who feel they weren’t satisfied with a shopper can decide to pay that 5% and no more.

Sometimes, the customers might not pay the Shopper more than the 5% if they weren’t satisfied with a substitute item or items were damaged. 

As a customer, you know Instacart markups can be very high, depending on the store.

$80 worth of groceries can easily cost you well over $100 when all the taxes and fees are added. Here’s my recent article on why Instacart charges more than the store.

What really surprised me was which stores Instacart marks up by 25% compared to others. Just click that link to read it on my site.

What happens when an Instacart Shopper complains about you?

If there are constant, valid complaints about a customer, their account are flagged. If fraud such as tip baiting has occurred, then shoppers can submit a ticket to close the customer’s account. A representative would file another ticket to review later.

Actions are taken depending on what the offense is. Keep reading to get the details!

A customer can open another account, but using the same credentials will immediately send a red flag to Instacart. To avoid losing the convenience of Instacart, customers must be fair to Shoppers. 

For Instacart Support to take any action, the shopper’s complaint must be valid.

The Shoppers must have proof like the receipts to show that all items requested were purchased. False claims against customers can have a Shopper’s account deactivated as well.

Can customers get banned from Instacart?

Yes is the short answer.

As a customer whose house or apartment is a health hazard to the Shopper, you can be blocked. Or, as we’ve discussed above, any activity from the customer that is intentionally deceptive or fraudulent could lead to a ban.

If the shopper feels harassed by the customer, he has the authority to request and block the customer.

In a Medium post, Instacart stated that customers who regularly deceive shoppers with tip baiting would be banned from the platform.

Got banned from using Instacart delivery?

If so, try Instacart Pickup. Although depending on your offense you may need to use a different email address. Not sure how to go about it? Check out my recent article for details on this. This is a great way to use e-coupons, and I’ll show you how!

Just click that link to read it on my site

Final Thoughts

In this article, you learned that Instacart shoppers couldn’t rate customers in the app, but they can decline any order they think is unreasonable.

If you’re a customer who has been paying only the 5% tip, you might want to consider adding a little more on delivery. Most Instacart Shoppers put in a lot of effort to provide you the best services.

And tips provide them with a huge chunk of their income.

I also talked about how and why can shoppers complain about a customer. You learned that tip baiting could get you blocked permanently from the service. As a customer, you should be fair when deciding on the tip. Consider the hassle the shopper will go through on your behalf.

Remember, you can always use Instacart Pickup if delivery is unsafe or unavailable in your area!

Walmart is among America’s cheapest grocery stores, but when using Instacart to do their delivery, the total cost becomes a little expensive. Depending on your area, you might have the option to save loads more with another grocery delivery service. Check out my recent article on Walmart deliveries through DoorDash.

The article is a must-read if you want to save money!

Ready to apply with Instacart and see how much you could make?

CLICK HERE to fill out your application now on the Instacart website!

Jeff Campbell