Jayme So a few months back I started driving with UberEATS alongside GrubHub and the occasional DoorDash. So now that I’ve been using the app for a few months I wanted share my thoughts, the good and the bad.
So first off, since I started using UberEATS it’s become my number one Goto app. A plethora of orders coming in, with a usually higher rate of pay has made it an awesome tool to keep my daily average pay up. Now I realize this will be different for different markets, but so far so good with UberEATS. Grubhub has become my second being less reliable with the number of orders in my market and DoorDash my last resort because it’s constantly slinging these “shitty orders” that rarely hit above the $2/mile requirement I tend to stick to. There was even a day I got this “shitty order” from DoorDash and I was all like “Hell nah!”,.. and then I swear the same order came through on UberEATS for $3 more. Now I know they tack on extra pay when an order when a order keeps getting declined, but after doing a mission for DoorDash where I had to run 10 orders to get $75 extra, I noticed most of the orders were subpar; the ones I would have easily passed if I wasn’t hankering for that $75. So it seems at the moment basepay is way lower for me on DoorDash over UberEATS and GrubHub.
Another thing I love about UberEATS is they don’t count declined orders against you. That’s right, at least upfront, they could give two shits if you declined every order other than that one golden one! This is great however who knows how it affects you in the backend, perhaps you’ll get less orders or lower priority, but UE isn’t letting that on. However if you accept and order and then decide to decline,.. well it’s all good! Sorry can’t do that order, GrubHub just sent me a better one in the opposite direction, canceled! However if you, like me, do that a whole bunch, you will get a notice in the app that says: “Your cancelation rate is higher than the average in your area”. Now that’s an annoying warning, but I’ve read if you push it too far it could lead to deactivation.
The Ugly
Now for the ugly. The workflow on the app isn’t terrible but UberEATS is pretty stingy with the info. So once an order pops up you can see the store you’re heading to, the orders miles and some general street names without an exact address. If it’s a stacked order you can see the “Orders (2)” but it only shows you the first stores name. Which means you have no clue whether that second store is the same store or a store in a completely different direction. Maybe it’s a store you hate, or an area with no parking, who knows, it’s a mystery!.. and if your multiapping, you better remember what general direction those streets are in because you can’t access any delivery info other than the order and name on the order until after you pick up all your orders, again, it’s a mystery! This is a real pain in the butt, and has attributed to a bunch of my accepted then canceled orders.
So all in all UberEATS has been a win for me. A lot of generally well paying orders with out the headache of working about an acceptance rate. If you avoid multiapping or can keep yourself pretty well organized, the lack of forthcoming info isn’t that much of a detractor, and is something you get used too. It definitely helps for you to know your area and even have it split up into different zones or “directions”, a little trick I learned from my previous delivery job! I like to try to chat with some of the other local delivery drivers when we are all waiting (usually at Chipotle’s) for our orders, and one driver mentioned; “UberEATS made me realize I could actually make a living doing this”. If that’s not a vote of confidence I don’t know what is!
*Update*
So I don’t know if they changed this or I just noticed it, but UE does show your acceptance rate in the app, and I feel judged! Whatever I don’t think it effects you, but it’s there… in red!
