Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/20/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been unsuccessful with getting results from instacart. I have reached out multiple times starting last week July 11,2023. My instacart account has been under review for over a week now. I was asked to submit my information to verify my identity in which I have, but my account is still under review and no one seems to be able to help me. I have had my instacart shopper account for over a year and have not had this issue before. I just want my account back working and a reason behind my account being under review this long and why the customer service are not able to give appropriate information and assistance on this issue.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/20/2023

  Hi Loreal,
  
  
  
  
  I apologize that you faced this negative experience with us. I have sent you an email with further communication on this issue so we can assist you properly. Please feel free to direct any further issues or concerns to that email.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  Instacart Care

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 7/17/2023 I placed an order with ******* thru INSTACART which I've used countless times ! However it was my FIRST TIME using my EBT CARD on the INSTACART ******** ended up putting my ENTIRE ORDER on my DEBIT CARD !! I even CALLED INSTACART BEFORE I placed the order just to make sure my EBT CARD INFO WAS CORRECT & the girl said it was fine & shouldn't have a problem, so I placed my order ! The next day I found out that my ENTIRE ORDER WAS CHARGED TO MY DEBIT CARD !! I FILED a total of 3 COMPLAINTS with INSTACART online with NO RESPONSE so I called INSTACART's Senior Helpline where I spent 10 mins on hold waiting for an answer !! I was told NO REFUND BECAUSE I DIDN'T CANCEL THE ********** I had no idea what TH she even meant by that since it was my FIRST TIME USING MY EBT CARD ON THE ******** The girl said "NO REFUND" !!

  Business Response

  Date: 07/20/2023

  Hello,

   

  Im sorry to hear that you had trouble checking out with your EBT card. Were you able to follow these steps:
  
  
  After youre done picking your items
  Select the cart icon in the upper right corner.
  Select the green ******** button.
  Add your delivery address.
  Add your EBT card and credit or debit card information.
  Click or tap Edit to change the amount that applies to your EBT card.
  Click or tap Confirm payment method.
  On the Place Order page, confirm all information is correct.
  You can confirm which items are EBT SNAP-eligible in your cart before checking out. It will say EBT under the name of each item that qualifies.
  Click or tap Place Order.
  After placing your order, enter your EBT card pin to verify your purchase.
  
  
  Before you check out, youll be able to review the order total and see what will be charged to your EBT card and credit or debit card.
  
  
  I hope this helps! If you have any more questions, let me know or you can visit Instacarts Help Center.
  
  
  Best,

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My main complaint is only the service fee. I have researched everything I can find regarding Instacart (mainly service fee). Everything I found said the same thing service fee is anywhere between 2% to 5%. And if youre an Instacart member the fee is reduced to 2% to 3.5%. I have been a member for a few years now and I will say most of my experience with Instacart have been good. Up until one of my recent orders that caught my attention. I made a purchase and the sub total was $88.75 my service fee was $30.99! You dont have to be a math genius to see $30.99 is no where near 2% to 5% let alone not 2% to 3.5% which I was supposed to be charged for being a member. After seeing this I thought how many other times was I overcharged a service fee in the past 3 years. I checked and found it has happened numerous times. I call customer support many times and every person I talked to couldnt give me any answer. I even asked them to explain how a past order my purchase was for $447.97 and the service fee for that purchase was $26.88 ($11.21 overcharge) and one of my recent $88.75 purchase and service fee $30.99 ($27.88 overcharged service fee). And no one could explain it to me. In just those 2 orders I was overcharged $39.09. I wonder how much I have been overcharged in service fee the past 3 years. The amounts of the service fee I used the highest percentage for a member 3.5%. At first I was hoping to get an explanation and ***** a credit to my account, but since *** tried to rectify this problem, I have gotten no explanation whatsoever and was told I was wrong. I believe this company shouldnt even be allowed to operate as a business since they are s******* every person out of their hard earned money.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/20/2023

  ************************* fee covers a broad range of operating costs, including shopper operations, insurance, background checks for shoppers, and customer support. The service fee isnt a tip and doesnt go to the shopper delivering your order.
  
  Instacart+ members pay reduced service fees. We make adjustments based on customer feedback like yours. The comments you share with us help guide our pricing over the long-term.
  
  You can learn more about pricing and fees in our Help Center.
  
  Thank you,

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/20/2023

   
  Complaint: 20346707
  
  I am rejecting this response because: it still does not add up. Being a member service fee is between 2% and 3.5%. Paying $30.99 service fee for a $88.75 Purchase is absolutely rediculous especially when spending over $400 on multiple past purchases and the service fees for those big purchases was never even close to the $30.99 service fee.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************

  Business Response

  Date: 07/24/2023

  Hi ***,

  I apologize that you faced this negative experience with us. I have sent you an email with further communication on this issue so we can assist you properly. Please feel free to direct any further issues or concerns to that email.

  Sincerely,

  Instacart Customer Experience Team
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I get it! Having your groceries delivered is not a right but a privilege, even when youre paying for the service youre still at their discretion. Their are elderly, handicapped & all sorts of people that rely on this service but to instacart they are just a number, ******************* are treated terribly. Ive gotten injured a couple of times carrying packs of water up 3 flight of stairs for $10the greed is insane & to them for any reason deactivation is swift, without any investigation.On June 21, ************************* of a violation and went on to deactivate my account, I emailed receipts to help show that it was some kind of error on their end. Furthermore I contacted the store and was sent every receipt linked to me from that day & a case number. I forwarded all that information to instacart and heard nothing back. As a company they make life so hard communicating & finding a resolution, its very sad and Im almost certain this is just the beginning.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/20/2023

  Hello,

  Your shopper account deactivated due to several unauthorized purchases and/or questionable transactions on your Instacart payment card.

  If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact ******************.

   

  Thanks,

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/20/2023

   
  Complaint: 20346519
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Instacart has refuse to refund me for rotten, damaged and missing items from their shoppers. I have lost over $100 for their refusal over the last few months due to this and I have provided them photographic proof of the errors yet they refused to respond of refund my money.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/20/2023

  Hello,

  Thank you for your response. At this time you will need to email **************************** for further assistance with your order issues.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been a customer of Instacart since 2019 and spent thousands of dollars using their delivery service. They seem to have an unnamed limit of refunds customers can request before you need to send photos of problem items in order to receive a refund. I do not know how to send photos to them as I am a disabled senior. Up until today they have always eventually given me refunds without photos but today they refused to provide me the $27.47 for incorrect items that the shopper delivered to me yesterday. I have tried to cancel the $49 annual membership I got rooked into signing up for and get a refund for the rest of the year. So far I've only been able to cancel the automatic renewal in ****. Please help. This is a very sketchy company and I deeply regret ever using their service.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/20/2023

  Hello,

  Thank you for your response. At this time you will need to email **************************** for further assistance with your order issues.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/21/2023

   
  Complaint: 20345412
  
  I am rejecting this response because: As a loyal customer who has placed many, many orders in the past 4 years and who always tips, I feel I am entitled to both a refund and an apology. Also, I wish to cancel my membership and receive a refund for the remainder of the membership. I believe this company should be upfront about their refund policies (that you are only allowed a certain number of refunds--and specify what that number is--regardless if they are the result of shoppers' mistakes and that you will need to provide photos of any refund requests once the limit has been reached.) No other delivery service that I have used has treated me as if I am a criminal for requesting refunds on orders that have been botched by their employees.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 07/24/2023

  Hi *****,

  Thank you for your response. At this time you will need to email **************************** for further assistance with your order issues.

  Thanks,

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/28/2023

   
  Complaint: 20345412
  
  I am rejecting this response because: All I want is the refund I requested for the wrong items I received and for the remainder of my Instacart membership. I am not interested in interacting with or supporting this company because I do not approve of how they treat their customers.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On July 18th, my daughter got me a new phone. As I forgot my password for my account, I tried to reset it. When I got the link, I tried creating a new password but the website said it could not be 1 of the last 3 I used. I then deleted it and made one I've never used and then the site said an error has occurred. I thought that was odd so I requested a new password link again. Kept getting looped with errors until account locked. I now find out on the 19th that I have to email a copy of my ID and credit card (which I am not sure if it's even the card I've been using) to unlock my account all because your website locked me out of trying to reset my own password. Not even the bank does this! This is ridiculous. So I cannot order groceries for at least 2 days because Instacart automatically assumes fraud as opposed to a forgotten password. This is unfair to customers, especially elderly ones, who already have difficulty navigating technology. I am older myself and luckily have my daughter to help me, but this ridiculous scrutiny over an account password is hurtful to aging people. This practice needs to be altered so atleast a person can call and answer security questions to regain access to their account.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/19/2023

  Hi *********,

  I apologize that you faced this negative experience with us. I sent you an email with further communication on this issue so we can assist you properly. We take your feedback very seriously and will use this information to improve our services in the future. Please feel free to direct any further issues or concerns to that email.
  

  Best,

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Instacart has cancelled my deliveries for the last week. I am a senior and have difficulty getting groceries. Instacarts customer care team does not care or help resolve the problem.A shopper was shopping my order yesterday and then she bailed without telling me. Instacart lies constantly when they cant get one of their lazy shoppers to make a delivery

  Business Response

  Date: 07/19/2023

  Hi ****,

  I apologize that you faced this negative experience with us. I understand how frustrating it is to have order issues. Upon reviewing the situation, I see that we were able to fulfill the order. Please feel free to direct any further issues or concerns to ******************.

  Thanks,

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/19/2023

   
  Complaint: 20343197
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  It took 7 days to fulfill 
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  As with most people these days, Im on a very tight budget but my work hours sometimes prevent me from getting to the grocery store myself. I purchased $122 in groceries from my local Price Chopper on 7/17/23, and checked my bank balance on 7/18/23 and was overdrawn by $65. Im very careful with my balance and money, and my bank couldnt tell me where the mystery charge of $150 came from so I closed my debit card down and requested a dispute. Come to find out, Instacart left their authorization hold on but charged me for the groceries. I tried getting help from them - this has NEVER happened before - and all their stupid BOTS kept telling me was that the hold can stay on for up to 7 days! WHAT kind of nonsense is that, tying up peoples accounts after they already got their full payment? Its 7/19/23, Im still overdrawn because of them, and they WILL NOT get a real live person to take their hold off my account. I will shop at MIDNIGHT if I have to, to never use their service again!!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 07/19/2023

  Hi ********,
  
  Im sorry to hear about the unfamiliar charge on your account.
  
  I reviewed your account, and the charge youre referencing is a temporary authorization hold.
  
  Whenever you place an order, Instacart places a temporary authorization hold on your card for an amount slightly higher than the order total. This helps cover any price differences that can occur due to adding items, replacing items, or weight adjustments.
  
  Instacart releases the authorization hold after your order is delivered or canceled. It can take 7 days for the pending charge to drop, depending on your bank.
  
  Once your shopper delivers your order, you can check the final charge on your digital receipt. Here's how
  
  In the app
  Tap the 3 horizontal lines in the upper left corner
  Tap Your orders
  Tap the relevant order
  Scroll down and tap View receipt
  
  On the website
  At the top right, click either Account or Hi, [Your Name]
  Click Your Orders
  Click View order detail on the relevant order
  Click View Receipt
  
  If you have any other questions about charges and payments, please let me know. You can also learn more at our Help Center.
  
  Best,
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/19/2023

   
  Complaint: 20343190
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Telling me they can keep a $150 authorization hold on my account long after they debited it for the actual purchase is UNACCEPTABLE.
  I dont want a canned response from a BOT, I want a LIVE PERSON to take this $150 hold OFF my account.  TODAY!

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

  Business Response

  Date: 07/24/2023

  Hi ********,

  I apologize that you faced this negative experience with us. I have sent you an email with further communication on this issue so we can assist you properly. Please feel free to direct any further issues or concerns to that email.

  Sincerely,

  Instacart Customer Experience Team
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/25/2023

   
  Complaint: 20343190
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Your email said that you can keep your authorization hold on my account for up to 7 business days.  That means that if I were to use Instacart for groceries again, I could be in the sane situation of being out TWICE the amount of my groceries, for days!  An auth hold should come off AS SOON AS the actual purchase goes through.  No desire to keep this going, however, and I dont need a response.  Just wont be using this service anymore.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/18/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My account with instacart was compromised a few months ago, had to cancel my credit card and requested that the account be deleted, was told it was, now the account was compromised again, 7-18-2023, I asked again for account to be deleted, I have been getting the run around, I don't understand how the account keeps getting compromised, or how someone is even ordering with no credit information in the account. I don't trust this company and just want account deleted. I am so angry, terrible customer service, being lied to . Not a trust worthy website. They shouldn't be allowed to operate

  Business Response

  Date: 07/19/2023

  Hello,
  
  I apologize that you faced this negative experience with us. Upon reviewing your Instacart account, I can see that it has been and is now deactivated. Please feel free to direct any further issues or concerns to ******************.

   

  Thanks,