What am I paying for? DoorDash Fees Explained

Doordash is an online food delivery service that has a fairly simple process similar to other online delivery services. It has a list of restaurants on the app from which you pick out your favorite food. You’re asked to pay before the order is placed and once you have paid, the restaurant gets your order and then a Dasher is assigned to go to the restaurant, pick it up, and then bring it to you. The entire time this is happening you can track the status of your order on the app so that you know when it’s made and where the driver is at any time. Upon delivery you have the option of tipping the Dasher.

One difference between this food delivery service and others is that they get paid by the restaurants to feature and promote certain foods so you don’t have higher costs built into the menu items themselves.

Why did I get charged $5.99, what is it for?

Doordash charges a delivery fee that’s typically $5.99 but that can go as high as $8 depending on how far the company has to travel.

But they have a monthly fee for their subscription service where you have to pay a subscription fee which is $9.99 per month, but you get free delivery on any orders that are $15 or more. If you use the service more than three times a month, the membership pays for itself.

If you decide to cancel, there are no cancellation fees according to the website.

Are there other hidden fees I’m being charged for this that I’m not aware of?

You’ll be able to see the fees before you check out with a breakdown of your taxes, fees, and gratuity. The total cost of the order will include the price of the menu item, the tax on the item, the optional tip, the delivery fee, and the service fee depending on which restaurant you use. The company also stipulates that in some cases they might add an additional fee for any order that is under the minimum subtotal or for any order placed when demand is particularly high.

Can I refute fees related to high demand fees?

There is no specificity about “high demand”, what that means, or when it might be applied and as the consumer you obviously have no warning so you might see an unexpected charge because you placed an order when things were busy. So, you can try to refute it but the company doesn’t really offer a lot of leeway here. It is important to reach out to them in an attempt to refute fees related to high demand or any other hidden charges of course and they do offer a place on their website for this.

What can I do if I was incorrectly charged a fee?

If you were incorrectly charged a fee and have tried to fix it but Doordash hasn’t really done anything, you have two options.

The first is to go through a small claims court. For this you will need to verify what your state requirements are, create a demand letter, file paperwork with your court in accordance with those requirements, officially serve the company, and attend a court hearing. Unfortunately there are minimum and maximum requirements for the amount of compensation you’re asking for in small claims court and most states have a minimum of $2,500. So, your case might not qualify on that basis alone.

The second option is to use consumer arbitration. Luckily there are no minimum or maximum limitations associated with consumer arbitration. It’s all so much easier process, one that uses an independent arbitrator from the American Arbitration Association to review the situation and then make a decision. This arbitrator works like a judge and can compel or force DoorDash to reverse your incorrectly charged fee.