Mojo In The Morning

Delivered Doordash to His Wife

8 min
Apr 10, 20269 days ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

A morning radio show discusses a DoorDash delivery incident where the driver detoured to drop off a medicine ball to his sick wife, arriving 20 minutes late. The hosts and callers debate the ethics of prioritizing personal errands over customer orders, with DoorDash drivers calling in to clarify how the app works and whether the driver was truthful.

Insights
  • DoorDash drivers have visibility into multiple simultaneous orders but customers cannot see if a driver is servicing other deliveries, creating information asymmetry and trust issues
  • Tip amounts significantly influence driver behavior and order prioritization, with drivers openly admitting they skip low-tip orders regardless of distance
  • The DoorDash app offers paid priority features ($2.99) to bump orders to the front of the line, suggesting the platform monetizes delivery sequencing
  • Driver accountability is low when detours occur; customers have limited recourse when drivers deviate from optimal routes for personal reasons
  • Emotional narratives (sick spouse) can be used by service workers to justify service failures, creating skepticism among consumers about driver honesty
Trends
Gig economy workers prioritizing personal needs over service obligations despite customer paymentTransparency gaps in delivery app algorithms creating consumer distrust of real-time trackingTip-based incentive structures in gig work driving unequal service quality based on customer generosityMonetization of delivery prioritization features as hidden revenue streams for platformsGrowing consumer skepticism about gig worker excuses and accountability in last-mile delivery
Companies
DoorDash
Primary subject of discussion; incident involved a DoorDash driver making unauthorized detour during Starbucks delivery
Starbucks
Order source for the DoorDash incident; specific location mentioned was Waterford Starbucks off Crescent Lake Road
Uber Eats
Mentioned as alternative delivery app that DoorDash drivers may use simultaneously to fulfill multiple orders
People
Shannon
Called into show to clarify DoorDash app functionality and driver visibility of multiple orders
Alexia
Called in to confirm that app does not show customers when drivers have multiple orders
Sophia
Suggested the driver may have been using Uber Eats simultaneously to explain the detour
Chelsea
Received the late Starbucks order; found the driver's detour to help his wife romantic
Quotes
"If it's a really good tip, I'm sorry, my spouse might have to wait."
Shannon (DoorDash Driver)Mid-episode
"If you're gonna give me two dollars for eight miles, like no, you're not even worth it. It's not worth it."
Shannon (DoorDash Driver)Mid-episode
"The app does not actually tell you if the driver does have another order. If they do have another order, they know, but they're the only ones that do know."
Alexia (DoorDash Driver)Late episode
"Couldn't you have done that like after you dropped mine off? Was yours just so cold?"
HostEarly episode
Full Transcript
Mojo in the morning show, phone number 844 Mojo Live, 844-665-6548 is the telephone number. Had kind of a crazy thing happen, DoorDashWise. Do we have any DoorDashers that, are they're not up this early in the morning? Are they? DoorDashers are. Are they? I think how many times we DoorDash Starbucks right around this time. Speaking of Starbucks, this is actually a really good Starbucks one. Had a DoorDash incident happen on a Starbucks order. Ordered Starbucks, okay, from DoorDash. Had the DoorDashers do the whole, your DoorDashers just picked up your order, including they took the picture and they had the bag on there where it said, said Thomas, because I ordered it under my legal name, and took the picture of it. And then you're kind of like, okay, good, he's gonna be here pretty soon. Did not come for a good period of time. Like I'm sitting there going, man, I don't know what route this guy is taking from Starbucks. Can't figure this thing out. The DoorDashers then, when I went and looked on the camera, was in a completely opposite area of town. Like looked, you know, like he could have taken a direct route from the Starbucks, which was the Waterford Starbucks off of Crescent Lake Road to my house. He ends up going a completely different direction, but then comes to my house and is probably about, I'm guessing, 20 minutes or so late with the thing. Because normally it's like basically a 10 minute, 12 minute drive. Gets to the house, I meet him at the door and he goes, hey, you know, I hope everything's okay, sorry about that. I had to drop something off at my house. He dropped a Starbucks to his house, because he said that his wife was not feeling well. And he brought her a medicine ball. I get that. To the house. Now, I bring this up only to say, I don't wanna sound like a dick that I don't care about your wife being sick, but couldn't you have done that like after you dropped mine off? Was yours just so cold? Or did you get a cold drink anyway? In all fairness, Chelsea ordered a cold brew, like the French Vanilla or whatever the heck that cold brew is, the sweet cream cold brew. I ordered just a regular cold brew, but I did order egg white bites like I always do. And the egg white bites come and I'm telling you my egg white bites were egg white cold when they got there. But am I, I was like, oh man, okay, I have no problem, I closed the door and I go, bastard, you know what I'm saying? I feel you. I mean, I understand both sides. Obviously like I want my order when it says that I'm gonna get my order. But I mean, if my wife's sick, then I don't give a damn about your order. You're the doordans guy. By the way, Chelsea thought it was the same thing. Chelsea thought that that was the most romantic thing ever. She goes, you would never do that. She goes, you choose the listeners way far over me. His wife wasn't sick. He was dropping off another order. And then yours. Really? I think I believed him when he said that. Cause honestly, and I don't know. You have created the biggest skeptic in me. Really? So now I'm like, was his wife sick? Heather. Oh, Heather's a door dash or quick question. Shannon, you heard my story, right? About the door dash guy that dropped off the medicine ball to his wife? Partially, I had to shut off my radio. Is it something that you couldn't hear over that blinker that is going on in the background? Oh, no, it just, it just, I had no radio on. So the door dasher was bringing me my Starbucks, but he went a long way. And when he got to my house, he said that he apologized. He had to drop off something to his wife, who was not feeling well and he dropped it off on the way. Shannon believes that the door dasher quite possibly was just door dashing another order. Would it tell me on the app if the door dasher has another order that they're dropping off? Yes. Okay, so what? It tells you exactly like, okay, cause there's times where I have four and five orders at a time and it lets everybody know how many orders are being delivered in front of them. Like I just found that out recently. Okay. It lets you know. Let me ask you this. Who would you prioritize? Your family or me as the person that's doing the door dash and giving you the tip? Well, one, it depends on the tip. Two, it depends on the situation. Maybe my tip. If it's a really good tip, I'm sorry, my spouse might have to wait. Can you see the tip before? Yes. You can. Oh my gosh, I need to tip back. Yeah, yeah, have you been in situations where you saw the tip and was like, yeah, they're gonna have to wait. There's times where I don't even take the run. Like if you're gonna give me two dollars for eight miles, like no, you're not even worth it. It's not worth it. Yeah. I could see that. Have you ever noticed if Kev knows is on there? Yeah. What's up? What's up, Bo? How you doing? Hey, it's up here. What's going on? Bo, what's up? Oh, that Bo's the kid. What's up, Bo? Who's with Bo? Bo, are you being kidnapped? I'm Amy. Amy, I'm his mom. You're high Amy. I'm high since I was in high school. Oh my God. Please tell me. I don't remember her name, but I remember before she started. I don't remember her name, but I remember before she started. Sarah. I do do head. That is not nice. Yeah, Mojo, the ad that says Mojo is a do-do head. Oh, that's funny. They do. Bo, you're a cutie pie, Bo. We love you. I said, you love you. Yeah. I'm going to the car. I'm going right above. I'm sorry, I don't speak kid. I'll talk to you later. What's going on, Brian? How you doing? Good. So sometimes at lunchtime, DoorDash gives me the option to pay to prioritize my order or get the fine first. So I think it's $2.99 and you get bumped to the front of the line. So I always believe that's BS though. You're just $2.99 short. Really? Is that a true thing? Well, that actually- I've used it before. And does it work? I mean, I think it comes pretty fast. It's always on time at least. Okay. All right, Alexa, what's up? Hi, Alexia. Yeah. What's up? I am a DoorDash driver. And the app does not actually tell you if the driver does have another order. Okay, so that driver I talked to earlier was lying to me. Lies. Yeah, pretty much. Pretty much. If they do have another order, they know, but they're the only ones that do know. It'll still show them on the route like they're on their way to you, but it will not show that they're on their way to your house yet. Interesting. Okay. So I got lied to. One last call on this one. We'll get on. Sophia, what's up, Sophia? Hi, how's it going guys? Good. What's going on? So I'm a DoorDash driver. So if his wife actually wasn't sick, he was probably doing Uber Eats or some other type of delivery app at the same time. See, we're all skeptics. Isn't that crazy? So he doesn't have a sick wife, so I can now wish his wife not well for that. I can't believe you did that. It's the guy at work who's grandma has died 16 times. You can't do that then. Now you just, you know, doomed your wife by saying all that stuff. All right.