DoorDash Should Make It Mandatory for Customers to Add Directions to Their Apartment
An open letter to DoorDash: This solution is a win-win, for both the customer and the driver
The other day it took me 20 minutes to find a customer’s apartment. I’ve been in this delivery industry for over 3 years, so I’m pretty good at finding my way around an apartment complex, but this place was especially difficult to find. So, I tried to call the customer. Went straight to voice mail. Tried to text the customer — no response. Now, at this point, I would normally start the timer and move on if there was no response. However, this was a gift order. Some flowers I had to get at Randall’s that a daughter wanted to gift her mother, so I felt bad starting the timer and really wanted to get this woman her flowers.
The building I was looking for was not located around the perimeter of the complex, so I figured it was probably located inside the complex and you had to go by foot to find it. Checked my phone to see if the customer had ever received the text. Not yet. So, I got out of my car and had to look for the building by foot.
When I finally found the apartment, on the 3rd floor, of course, I knocked on the door for what seems like an eternity since the order said “Hand it to the customer” and I didn’t want to leave her flowers on the door. Since she wasn’t expecting me, there was no way of knowing whether she was home or not, or whether she was asleep.
Finally, someone finally answered and I gave them the flowers and said it was for Lilly from her daughter Justina, He looked at me and said “Thanks,” and shut the door. I looked on my phone to see if the customer had ever texted me back. Of course, not…
From the point I entered the apartment complex to the time I got back in my car, 20 minutes had gone by.
I tell you, there’s gotta be a better way to communicate with these customers. When they don’t answer calls or texts, it makes things really difficult for us.
One solution I’d like to suggest is that DoorDash should make it mandatory for a customer who lives in an apartment complex to provide written instructions on how to get to their apartment from the entrance gate. That way, we wouldn’t have to waste time driving in circles looking for their apartment while their food slowly gets colder, and the driver slowly becomes more frustrated. And the customer is also probably frustrated because their food is taking a long time and arrives to them cold.
Apartment deliveries are such a hassle and there’s got to be a better way. Making it mandatory for a customer to write down in the instructions area where their apartment is located from the entrance gate would be extremely helpful. And also, DoorDash should make it mandatory that they add the gate code instructions so we won’t have to waste time calling them and asking what the gate code is.
That’s my rant for the day. Thanks for listening!
Update 12/30/2021
Okay so today I experienced the same problem with a grocery delivery and the person wouldn’t answer the phone or texts. So I went to the apartment office and asked for a map of the complex. They handed me one and I was able to find the apartment.
Okay so today I decided that I will go to the office of the apartments that I frequent and ask them for a map of the complex. If they have one, I will keep those maps in my car for when I have trouble getting around again.
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